Welcome to the first edition of ‘The WAFFLE’…

This is a new joint venture of the previous staff report and student magazine. We thought it would be a great idea to get together and create one fabulous magazine that will be rolled out once every term.

It has been yet another fabulous year for all and the stories here are a reflection of that and we are sure you will find them interesting, perhaps amazing… but we know you will enjoy it!!

The next edition will be published in December… so get writing those stories…

Lisa Lewis Izaak Bosman Sarah Harris Lucia Buffa (Staff Member) (AS Student) (A2 Student) (A2 Student)

Farewell year 13…

Page | 2

An invite to our end of year art exhibition Private View night

Everyone is welcome, so if you have friends/family/neighbours/dentists who like art, do please bring them along. And get them to bring their chequebooks, as our students are often happy to sell their work and you can pick up original, high quality work for a bargain.

If you can’t make the private view night, do please just wander up and take a look any working day after that date.

Page | 3

Visit to France, Germany and Spain By Sarah Whitney, Emma Walkers and Katrina Straw

Groups of students studying French, Spanish and German spent a week in France, Spain and Germany on European exchange visits in February and March. In all the language exchanges in addition to lessons at our partner colleges and sightseeing the students spent a major part of the week at work experience placements in local primary schools. The 3-day work experience placements make the language exchanges at Bilborough College unique compared to exchanges and educational trips run by other schools and colleges. In addition to gaining confidence in their language skills the students learn about the working life abroad and have something worthwhile adding to their CV’s.

Altogether 28 students studying French stayed a week in Bordeaux and were hosted by French students from our partner college Lycée Fernand Daguin in a town called Mérignac, a 20-minute tram ride from city centre Bordeaux. The students stayed in their French partner’s home experiencing the French family life and way of living. In addition to getting to know the French College life and the sights of Bordeaux, the students had a day trip to Dune du Pyla, Europe’s tallest sand dune in Arcachon on the Bordeaux coast. After the challenging climb up the dune everyone was rewarded with incredible views and a picnic.

A group of 18 Spanish students spent a week in Cáceres staying with their Spanish partner’s families from our partner college “Universidad Laboral”. One of the highlights of the week was a day trip to the beautiful National Park of Monfragüe. After a 2-hour walk up to the main viewing point and back down again the students had a well-earned picnic enjoying all the food they had made themselves the previous day at the college’s catering department.

A group of 10 students studying German spent a week in Berlin in March. The students were hosted by German students from our partner college Georg Büchner Gymnasium. Outside the family life Bilborough students got to practise their German in the classroom attending lessons as well as in the many activities the German hosts had arranged including bowling. The students also spent a day sightseeing in Berlin visiting the main sights such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag and the Brandenburger Tor.

Page | 4

Business Studies New York Trip Feb 2015 By Laura Goulding

The Business Studies Department took 46 AS, A2 and BTEC business students to New York in February. The trip gave them a great opportunity to see business from an international perspective!

Following a very early start on the Sunday morning, we arrived in New York late afternoon. After settling in at the hotel we went to experience American Cuisine at Bubba Gumps restaurant in Times Square before heading up the Empire State Building to take in the New York skyline at night. A fantastic sight and worth bearing the -10c temperatures and snow for!

The following day started with a business seminar at Madame Tussauds which gave a fantastic insight to how Merlin Entertainment is run and their future strategies for the business – as well the process and cost of making the wax works (up to $300,000 per model!). There was then the opportunity for the students to go round the wax works museum – and plenty of shock at how small some of the stars are and a few photo opportunities! Following this the students undertook a walking tour of New York including Mid Town, 5th Avenue, Grand Central, the Rockefeller Centre, Times Square and Central Park. The students were fantastic taking in all the sights – despite being greeted by a snow storm whilst on the tour. Later in the day after warming up we headed off for a night of bowling.

Tuesday started with an early morning walk up to the Rockafeller centre – luckily the weather had started to warm up (it reached 0c!). We all took in the New York Skyline in daylight and learnt about the history of the building. It quickly became apparent how much health and safety rules have changed!

Following this we went down to Maddison Square Gardens for an all access tour. We got an insider look at the World’s most famous arena, including the Knicks and Rangers Locker rooms, the VIP areas and the behind the scenes side of the arena. The students were told about the logistics and marketing required for keeping somewhere like Maddison Square Gardens running. It was interesting to hear the corporate social responsibility side of the business and the involvement with the community that they have. After a break for dinner we returned to Maddison Square Gardens for the Knicks game! It was superb to see all that was discussed in action. We all kitted out in the freebies we were given (hats / t-shirts) so we felt the part!

Wednesday was another early start to head off to the port for a Circle Line cruise. The one hour cruise took us down past the financial district, Liberty Island and the Statute of Liberty. This gave us some of the best views of city and plenty more photo opportunities. When we returned we hopped on the metro to head down to the financial district. After a quick stop for lunch we made our way to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The Museum was a truly fitting dedication to those who lost their lives and those who were affected by the tragedy. Everyone was moved by the stories being told in the museum –it was a truly humbling experience and all of the students commented how grateful and appreciative it made them feel for their lives.

This was followed by a walking around the financial district and Wall Street before getting the metro back up to the Hotel. That evening was Awards Evening – we headed off to Dave and Busters for a meal, a quiz and some awards. The evening was great fun and finished off by some time in the penny arcade.

Thursday morning it was time to pack up. After packing and vacating the rooms we headed off to Macy’s for a tour and talk about the world’s largest store. It was interesting to hear the science behind retailing and the tricks of the trade. Following the tour the students were given time to help boost the American economy by indulging in a bit of retail therapy for themselves. Early evening we returned to the hotel to re-pack suitcases with the new purchases (this involved a lot of sitting on suitcases!) before the coach came to collect us to return to airport. An overnight flight and 3 hour bus journey got us back to the UK and the warm (6c at this point almost felt like summer).

The students were fantastic during the week and were a great credit to the college!

Page | 5

Oxbridge THANK YOU!!! By Emma Walkers

So far YOU have raised £220 On 18th March we welcomed Alexy Karenowska, lecturer in Physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, and some for victims of the NEPAL current Magdalen undergraduates for an Oxford Outreach afternoon. The event was attended by EARTHQUAKE! students from Bilborough College and also pupils from Ellis Guilford and West Park schools. The event involved a talk from Alexy about why and how to apply to This money can help Oxford and then the undergraduates took charge of small groups and ran question and answer sessions to provide: help prospective applicants understand what life as an Oxford student is like.

Several students also attended masterclasses and taster  2 built sanitation and sessions at both Oxford and Cambridge water facilities Universities. Students signed up for sessions in English Literature, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Philosophy,  Clean water for 750 Geography and History.

children Over the Easter break, 6 students attended residential placements at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. These  22 hygiene kits gave them a taster of life at Cambridge University.

THANK YOU AGAIN!!! Chemistry Trip By Garry Drew

On Wednesday 21st January 2015 20 chemistry students Orchestra from Bilborough made their way to the university for the afternoon. By Sophie Mapplebeck

(Nottingham Music Service) After the welcome the first lecture was given by Sir

th Martyn Poliakoff, who talked mainly about the world On May 16 students part of the Robin Hood Youth famous Periodic Table videos, produced by Nottingham Orchestra at Nottingham Music School performed at University, on every element in the table. He talked in a Meadow Lane football ground as part of Football Rocks, very entertaining way about the amazing number of a charity football tournament set up by Jake Bugg viewings, further developments and a personal favourite featuring teams made up of a number of rock and indie showing ‘supercritical carbon dioxide’ being used as a bands as well as some professional players. The event solvent in preparation of chemicals. Next came a lecture was in aid of Jake's Robin Hoodie foundation and the on ‘energy and sustainability’, an important topic in these British Heart Foundation. The students involved from days of global warming and dwindling resources. Bilborough were Alec Johnson, Amin Ahmadi, Kirsty Law, Oliver Shaw, Susannah Greenhalgh and Heather Third up was a lecture showing how chemists are tailor Blore – well done all!!!!! making molecules with specific shapes to act as medicines. Students had a refreshment break and treasure hunt, which two of our students (James Walker and Jack Walters) won first prize, with another group joint third. The prize was a sleek pair of safety specs each for the winners which have been gracing their eyes during experiments at Bilborough. Whilst this was happening the lecture theatre was set up for the highlight of the day, the ‘Thunder and Lightning Demo’ which as the name suggests was full of exciting reactions.

Bilborough can feel proud of the behaviour, enthusiasm and participation of the students involved. The only pity is that we had to limit the numbers who could attend.

Futsal League By Andrew Felfoldi

The following students all took part in the Futsal league this term which was very successful, producing some very good matches and a real determination by all involved. Futsal is a type of indoor football that is growing across the world. It helps players improve their skills and has its own specific rules. The overall winners of the league were Alex Mann and his team who won all their games and produced some excellent football. However, it went to the last week keeping everyone on their toes, including myself who organised this and refereed all matches. Students are keen to take part in this again next year. Hopefully my knees are up to it.

The Winning Team E George Holden, John Wilkinson, Alex Mann, Josh Parker

Team A Keith Shoniwa, Uhan Elliot, Eyinju Solakho, Edward Jr Zifo, Jonathan Scotny

Team B Fraser Dunn, Dominic Sheppard, Sean Evans, Ruach Mitchell, Bradley Smith, Vinnie Scarborough

Team C Jordan Hatfield, Danny cutting, Michael Sylvester, Aaron Bright, George Fisher

Team D Oliver Higgins, Daniel Ibinimion, Felix Njugi, Harun Ali, Hammad Arshad

Page | 7

Nick Cave at the Theatre Royal By Izaak Bosman

The iconic goth-punk rocker, Nick Cave, played Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall last month alongside a number of The Bad Seeds as part of his latest tour.

Nick Cave is the God of the alternative goth- punk genre. Having released 15 studio albums with his long-term ensemble, The Bad Seeds, the Australian singer-songwriter seems to have constructed an intellectually inspiring imago. Thus, when the opportunity arose to see Cave perform live in Nottingham, it was inevitable that I sought out tickets.

The tour comes subsequent to 2014’s 20,000 Days on Earth. Having been directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the project was an innovative exploration of 24 hours in the life of Nick Cave. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Festival, is ‘an intimate portrait of the artistic process, celebrating the transformative power of the creative spirit’.

Much like the film, Cave’s latest tour seems to pay tribute to the power of the procedure through which concepts evolve. It seems to strip back the many myths that surround Cave’s persona, and portray him in a very intimate light.

As the lights go down, and the concert begins, an intense bassline undercuts the atmosphere, and Cave seats himself at a grand piano that sits center stage. The set begins with Water’s Edge, a track taken from Cave’s latest album, Push the Sky Away. The tempo is more upbeat than one might expect, yet the subtlety of Cave’s performance is captivating.

Higgs Boson Blues sees Cave prowling about the stage, flouting the unique intensity that he is renowned for. Dressed in a black suit, it seems that he has been summoned straight from the pages of Dante’s Inferno. This intensity continues into Tupelo, which seems to set an even darker tone. The performances sense of proximity here breaks down as an element of passionate tension underpins the bitter narrative; ‘come Sunday morn the first born is dead’.

As the performance progresses, Cave demonstrates his diverse catalogue of sound; an epic interpretation of Mermaids is juxtaposed by a delicate version of Into My Arms, and a raging From Her to Eternity transforms unexpectedly into an eerie adaptation of West Country Girl.

A few iconic tracks later, most notably Jubilee Street and I Let Love In, and a seven-song encore, Cave concludes the set with an ethereal rendition of Push the Sky Away. The gentle repetition of the mantra ‘you’ve got to just keep on pushing, keep on pushing, push the sky away’ seems to leave the crowd in a trance, during which Cave makes a sudden departure.

The evening was a tribute to the incredible craftsmanship of Nick Cave. The performance was a retrospective showcase that accentuated the subtle diversity of Cave’s style, and explored the depths of a creative spirit.

Page | 8

On the Open Road By Sarah Harris

Bilborough isn’t lacking in talented students and recently when I sent an email around asking whether anyone had interesting stories to contribute to The Waffle I was contacted by Year 13 student, Tom Hawke, vocalist for 3-man band, ‘On the Road.’ Typically with it being the 21st century, our interview took place over email but I still had time to check out the bands Facebook page and listen to a few of their songs and I can quite easily say that On The Open Road are stars in the making!

How did the band form? It started in 2012 with just me (guitar/vocals) and Ollie (drums) playing songs like The Inbetweener's Theme in his shed haha. Later that year, around October, we tried out our current bassist, Dan. We became an established band in 2013, we started playing gigs with some songs we'd written in the past few months, including a headline show at The Rescue Rooms (Red Room) to an almost sold-out crowd of 100+ people.

So where’d the name come from? Our band name... We were thinking of band names for over a year, it took us ages! We finally decided on calling our band 'On The Open Road', which we took from a lyric in a song called The Downfall Of Us All by A Day To Remember; "I sold my soul to the open road" - we changed it slightly and kept it as we thought it suited us well and also because we needed a band name to play more shows!

What was it like organising the ‘Load of Meat Fest’? I helped book the bands playing at Load Of Meat Fest 2 at The Maze in Nottingham. I worked alongside IKE Productions manager who organizes big yearly events like Hit The Deck Festival and Macmillan Festival. I really enjoyed being able to help out with such a good indoor festival.

And the atmosphere? The atmosphere at Load Of Meat 2 was really good; people seemed to enjoy the bands (spread across three stages), the free BBQ and the overall sociability of the event. It was nice to watch my friends from Bilborough play at the festival in their bands; Amy & Lily, Daniel Scott, Hello Tomorrow and Parasight.

Who are your biggest influences? Our main band influences are A Day To Remember, Blink-182, Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck, The Story So Far, Me vs. Hero and Four Year Strong.

Keep up to date with the band on Facebook and Twitter; @OnTheOpenRoadUK

Poetry Students By Jane Bluett

Three Bilborough students won prizes in this year’s Sheffield Hallam Uni-Verse Poetry Competition. Rebecca Summerscales came first, Abigail Smith came second and Natalie Drummond came third. Rebecca attended a lovely presentation evening in Sheffield and read her winning poem, Fifty a Day, to an audience of university students and lecturers. All three prize winning poems are on display in the English area at college.

Since March Bilborough students have been involved in a Poetry Exchange with a school in Chicago. We’ve been linking up on Tuesday evenings through Google Hangouts. Mouthy Poet supremo, Debris Stevenson has been leading the poetry from this side. Chicago poets, have run workshops from their end also. Missy Hughes from Team Englewood Academy will be coming over to the UK in June and will be running poetry sessions with Bilborough Creative Writing students. Work produced by the project will be published in an anthology by the end of the year.

Page | 9

Page | 10

Load of Meat Fest

The headlining trio, On The Open Road – made up of Tom Hawk (vocals/guitar), Dan Abey (bass) and Ollie Green (drums) – were the most deserving band of the night to hold the audience’s full attention. After the percussion opening settled itself out, Tom’s solid and sophisticated vocals wove themselves into the track, just hearable through the instrumental and touches of feedback, all supported by the prominent bassline that drove the set. A few minor adjustments after the first track (“talk amongst yourselves!” Tom laughs whilst they fine tune) lead to an even more refined sound, with the vocals high enough for the front- man to display his impressive range.

A quick round of applause for a quick change from electric to acoustic guitar commenced the start of the token (and brilliantly executed) acoustic track of the night – by far the most passionate of the set. Tom’s vocals soared across the track, injecting powerful emotion into refrain, “I want what’s best for you”. Penultimate Prom Song is performed with the confidence and comfort of a band who’ve been playing the track their whole life; many bands have a frequently played track that all fans want to see played by them, and for On The Open Road, Prom Song is it.

What makes to be the closing track begins with a flurry of drums, and as it closes it seems the crowd aren’t ready to call it a day, with an overwhelming encore bringing the instruments back for a final try. A ripple of excitement passes through the crowd as they announce they’ll be playing Rainy Days, and not slowing for a moment, the band bring the set to an abrupt yet apt close.

Page | 11

15 and 35. Whilst it cannot be considered an alarmingly Get Brainer about common problem, with just 1 in 100 people experiencing a schizophrenic episode in their lifetime, the fact remains Schizophrenia that it is not some unthinkable phenomenon: people like ourselves make up that 1%, and it should not become By Zoe Marchewicks an invisible issue, hidden behind common culture.

Despite most of us knowing schizophrenia by name, if asked about the specifics of the diagnosis it is likely that That’s all well and good, but what does many of us may be hesitant to respond. This fact alone schizophrenia actually involve? made schizophrenia the ideal candidate to take centre- Symptoms of schizophrenia can relate to a person stage as the focus of this year’s World Mental Health ‘losing touch’ with reality, which occurs with varying Day. levels of extremity and may not be constant. This can happen in the form of delusions – ungrounded beliefs that a schizophrenic individual may have which are not in line with mainstream philosophy. Such beliefs may be illogical or even falsifiable, and yet stubbornly remain ‘true’ in the mind of the individual.

Also concerns are instances of hallucination, where a person may hear, smell, see or feel something which others cannot. This can include hearing voices – the most commonly occurring hallucination type in schizophrenics – or seeing objects which appear to exist only in their own perceived reality.

Other features of diagnoses can relate to dysfunctional thought patterns, which describe the way in which a person’s thoughts may be somewhat disconnected from each other and can consequently affect speech; negative symptoms, which can refer to displayed apathetic behaviour or a lack of emotional participation; and affected movement and ability to live in a way that is cohesive with others’ lifestyles.

Symptoms such as these are not untreatable: not only The 10th October 2014 saw a dramatic increase in the are there medications available to those who may publicity of information surrounding the mental health require it, but also psychotherapeutic techniques which disorder schizophrenia in the Mental Health have been employed to assist patients in maintaining Foundation’s largely successful attempt to boost social essential connections with everyday life (personal awareness of the diagnosis. Whilst the organisation relationships as well as their behaviour). works hard to spread knowledge and understanding of a wide variety of disorders and health issues all year Need to know more? round, its targeted projects like this one stand out as being particularly inspiring ways of encouraging others, specifically members of the general public, to get involved in raising awareness.

Why is it important to know about and understand mental health disorders? For further information about schizophrenia and insight There are a number of key reasons why public into issues surrounding its causes and treatments, or awareness is important – not least to prevent for more about World Mental Health Day, the following thoughtless stereotyping of suffering individuals and websites are available to kick-start your discoveries and unfair generalisation of society’s misinformed beliefs. In keep you in the know about all things mental: order to fully comprehend why such classification might be insensitive, we must first understand both the ins and The Mental Health Foundation: World Mental Health Day the outs of mental health problems and realise that http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/inde anybody can become a victim of them. x.shtml More about Schizophrenia: Information from the NHS This fact rings true with schizophrenia in particular, with http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Diag most diagnoses occurring in people between the ages of nosis.aspx

Page | 12

night, although it has been suggested that the best Get a Grip with 3 Basic approach to bedtime is to establish routine: - Go to bed on a schedule where possible, both Health Tips on weekdays and weekends By Zoe Marchewicks - Make an effort to exercise throughout the week, using time in bed to relax It is no secret to any student that maintaining healthy - Make your room a bed-focused zone that lives habits can prove challenging with the weight of school up to its name by doing everyday activities perched upon your shoulders, pushing you to succumb elsewhere to what your body might want but not necessarily need. Cleaning up your bedtime habits can help to increase That’s why, in order to look good, feel great and perform energy levels, improve your mood, clear up your skin at your very best, The Waffle is at the ready to provide and help you to pay attention in class – or with friends! you with beginners’ tips to staying on top of your health. Help yourself out with these 3 healthy habits which may Eat Enough Fruit, Beans, Veg be second nature to some but far-off feats for others, but and Pulses! will no doubt help you feel fresh and fine from the inside out: This third tip has undoubtedly been told to us time and

again, and yet for many it goes in one ear and – Drink Plenty of Fluids! whoosh! – straight out of the other. Many people simply don’t realise just how important keeping up the intake of With lessons back-to-back throughout the day, it can be vitamin-rich foods like fruit and vegetables is in ensuring easy to leave the bottle to one side and forget to have a that our bodies are at their best. Such foods contain much-needed drink. nutrients essential to our wellbeing and can also provide However, non-alcoholic roughage to keep our systems functioning effectively. fluids play an essential part of any healthy Below are a few examples of fruit portions which make lifestyle and are not up one of your five-a-day: one which can afford to be granted such little - 3 Apricots thought. - 7 Strawberries - A handful of raspberries It is advised that women drink 1.6 litres of water per - Two plums day (8 glasses), and men 2.0 litres (10 glasses), if they - 1 Large slice of are to function well, and though this may sound like a lot, pineapple it consumed at regular intervals it will seem easy as - 14 Cherries breathing. - 2 Satsumas

Ensuring you drink enough water can: Fruit smoothies can also be an excellent method of - Properly replace fluids lost through breath, getting 1+ of your five a day – providing they have a high sweat and urine fruit content! - Keep the body working efficiently - Improve the clearness of skin For more savoury options, try 7 cherry tomatoes; 3 - Improve dizziness, headaches and energy loss heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn, peas or carrots; 3 caused by dehydration sticks of celery; or beans and pulses, such as baked beans, kidney beans or chickpeas. Such benefits can also be observed in people who… And there you have it: three of the most talked about Remember to Sleep! yet most commonly ignored tips for keeping our bodies sighing in relief at their magnificent management. Little could be more obvious, and yet a vast number of At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide to what students are guilty of failing extent your body gets pampered, so be sure to to catch enough Zs – when remember: they need it most, no less! The kinder you treat your body, the better it will treat How much sleep we need you! varies from person to person. Some people will soar after a 7 hour night; others will be close to collapse. There is no magic number of hours we should sleep per

Page | 13

Eating Disorder Awareness Day

On Friday 27th February the college held an event to raise awareness of support for people with Eating Disorders and raising funds for B-eat – the leading UK charity for supporting people with eating disorders.

The event followed the national theme of ‘sock it to eating disorders’ and was was entirely student led, by year 13 student Charlotte Hart-Shaw, who organised a stand with information on a range of eating issues alongside fundraising by selling homemade sock monkeys and a ‘guess how many socks in the jar’ game. We raised £37.10 on the day for B-eat and had many conversations with students about eating disorders to raise awareness and understanding, as well as how to get support.

Page | 14

Dance and Perfmance Studies By Tina Carter

The end of January saw another inspirational trip to Amsterdam for A level Dance students. Damian, Andrea and Monique escorted students to The Hague, home of internationally renowned Netherlands Dance Theatre. The standard of group choreography at this year’s A2 Dance showcase was exceptional and students were fully prepared for the exam.

Btec dancers took part in a workshop with Musical Theatre professional Glen Graham. Alumnus Kynam Moore revisited the college with professional dance company Origin, performing a piece and leading a workshop with Btec students. This first year of the Btec Certificate/Subsidiary Diploma in Performing Arts culminated in a final end of year showcase which demonstrated a diverse range of skills across a variety of dance styles. Also, this year’s AS Dance exams were particularly successful.

I went to watch Josh Attwood perform in the National Youth Dance Company at Sadler’s Wells to a star-studded audience of industry professionals. The level of young talent on stage was outstanding and the piece, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, was breath- taking.

Many of our Dance students are involved with exciting projects and training outside of college. Five students were under the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) programme with Dance4 and four students have been working with Origin Youth Company, touring work around the region. The Bilborough College Performance Group performed at Nottingham Playhouse as part of episodes15 in January, adapting the piece they performed in the autumn for Unite the Scene.

It has been a really successful year for progression with students obtaining places at Laban, London Contemporary Dance School, Urdang, London Studio Centre, Middlesex University, and Performers College among others.

Page | 15

We had another very successful run of Community Performances in The Gilly Archer Theatre and The Space at Nottingham Contemporary. AS Level Performance Studies students devised and performed original combined arts performances in response to the video works of Agnieszka Polska. They performed to a public audience of friends, parents and Nottingham residents. They showcased work which embraced a variety of styles including physical theatre and eclectic performance art.

A2 Performance studies students worked very hard this year to produce original devised performances which responded to commissions set by the exam board. The preview evenings were well-attended and provided the students with an opportunity to get feedback on their repertoire performances ahead of the exams on 21st & 22nd May.

After Easter Andrea took a group of A2 Performance Studies students to Backlit Gallery in Nottingham to view the Einstein On The Beach Exhibition about Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s experimental opera of the same name. I had the pleasure of witnessing alumni Jack Britton, Chloe Culpin and Ed Boott perform in various guises at Font Fest during half term, taking part in a new festival of fresh, original Nottingham theatre, produced by Gareth Morgan. Progression routes have been high this year with students offered places at Rose Bruford, East15, Italia Conti, London Studio Centre, Laban, and Urdang among others.

As you are probably aware, Performance Studies was cut by Ofqual in the A Level Reform so this year’s Yr12 intake will be the last. I thought it would be interesting to record some student perspectives of the course, especially the unique training experience we have been able to offer Drama School applicants by fast-tracking the A level in Yr13. Here is the testimony of Joel Walker who joined Bilborough in Sept 2014 to study A Levels in Drama and Performance Studies, alongside the Trinity Guildhall Acting qualification:

"Fast-tracking A Level Performance Studies was not actually as daunting as it sounded. The content of the course itself I found exceedingly useful. As somebody looking to pursue drama I had never really investigated dance at all, so having to devise two pieces in one academic year which had to contain dance was very educational. It has contributed to a much better physical versatility and given me heaps of experience. My knowledge of performance has also undergone a massive overhaul. Studying Lloyd Newson at AS and postmodern performance at A2 has given me a superb new breadth of appreciation for the arts and a much more positive and open-minded outlook on the 'weird' and the unknown, as well as better tools to discuss and criticise performance itself. While the Drama A Level has expanded my knowledge and understanding of drama, Performance Studies has expanded my appreciation, knowledge and understanding of art and performance in general, and given me a crucial versatility as a performer which I will no doubt need to draw on in the future." Joel Walker, June 2015

Page | 16

DZ DUDES By Sarah Harris and Aadam Medjamia

An Interview with Bilborough’s very own YouTube Stars…

YouTube has over 1 billion users on the site each month alone and the ‘YouTuber’ phenomenon is becoming increasingly more popular. Amidst the hundreds of students we have here at Bilborough, we have our own rising YouTube stars – current year 13 student, Aadam Medjamia and former Bilborough student, Youssef Zidouri. The duo goes by the name ‘DZ Dudes’ and have recently had over 30,000 views on their videos. I interviewed the pair on the story behind their channel.

How did you guys meet? We met around 10 years ago when I (Aadam) was at Arabic school on a normal Saturday. Then my dad came to pick me up but unlike usual Saturdays there was this random, huge eared kid sitting on the back seat. I had never met this guy before and I was then told that we are going to play football with this random kid and his family. The love story has blossomed ever since that day.

What made you start a YouTube channel? Ermmm, I think it was Youssef's idea initially. We both have a really strong interest in gaming and watched a lot of YouTubers do what they do. Some were good obviously however we always complained when we saw people out there that were making videos, getting big but their content really wasn't that good. It was just a build of frustration as we thought that we could do so much better as we thought, at the time, that we were funnier and more of a likeable pair. This was coming close to a year ago from now. However as time has gone of we've slowly veered away from primarily gaming and have realised there is more enjoyment and satisfaction out of producing comedy skits and different types of videos too.

How did you come up with the name for your channel? We struggled for some time with a name if we're being honest. Believe it or not our first YouTube channel that we created was named 'Uzayr's Donkey'. Honestly looking back now I can't believe I was happy to go ahead with that but we really struggled for names and I was looking around the house one day and came across this old Islamic children's book titled that. However over the summer we settled on the name 'Dz Team'. 'Dz' being the national abbreviation for Algeria. After releasing 3 videos under that name we realised it didn't look right and wasn't that marketable. Therefore we agreed on changing the name to 'Dz Dudes' and it has stuck ever since.

Who were your main influences? Our main influences... Well for me (Aadam) I can't deny the main influences for me were Fousey Tube and KSI. Purely because I had witnessed their success and had something different about them from usual YouTubers.

Your recent social experiment had a strong response, was this the type of outcome you wanted? Yes! Very much so. We honestly did not expect it to get the amount of public exposure that it has gained. Within a month of release it had already gained 7 thousand views, it was a complete shock. Bearing in mind our video's average just under 1 thousand views, we were waking up every morning to an extra thousand views added on from the previous. I Page | 17

hope that it still continues to gain exposure and allows more people to really understand the meaning behind the video. The responses of each candidate who took on the experiment were eye opening and a true reflection of what Islam, as a religion, actually preaches. The video really falls into the common line, "Never judge a book by its cover", even though most physical front covers of a Qur'an are actually really nice, but you know what I mean; people should take the initiative to find things out for themselves from the source, then you're well within your rights to build a conclusion from that.

What do you primarily want to convey through your videos? That's actually a tough question. We do a wide variety of videos, each one with a different message. I wouldn't claim that we have a recurring theme but we'd just like to portray ourselves really. I think we've settled into the YouTube community remarkably well and are slowly growing as a channel.

What are your plans for future videos? We've got tonnes of ideas flying around. The ones coming in the near future should be a London vlog, an accent challenge and a few other videos which are highly confidential and cannot be shared at this moment in time.

Do you think you guys will carry on making videos once you’re older? It all depends on how successful the channel becomes, I'd like to think that we can carry on the YouTube channel for a good while. It all depends on YOU GUYS sharing the videos, watching them, liking them, subscribing all that gobbedygoop.

Musical Excellence at Bilborough College By Simon Lee

A2 Music students from Bilborough College, Nottingham have once again excelled in gaining places at top UK Music Conservatoires. Entrance to these institutions is extremely competitive with applicants needing high standards of musical performance to be selected for a handful of places. Flautist Emily Revill (pictured left) secured places at 4 different Conservatoires but finally decided to take up her first choice at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Clarinettist and saxophonist Lily Wilson-Caines (centre in picture) also gained a place at the Royal Northern College of Music and singer Rebecca Herrington (left in picture) was accepted by Leeds College of Music.

Jazz drummer Luke Tomlinson (pictured left) excelled during his auditions and was pleased to announce that he will be taking up a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London. Bilborough College Music teacher Simon Lee stated ‘it gives me no greater pleasure than to see the hard work of our Music students being recognised and rewarded by these top UK Music schools. We have a proud history in the department of guiding our students into leading Music provision at both Conservatoires and University and this year is typical of the high standard of students at our college.’

Page | 18

Page | 19

A letter is physical object that is personal in so many ways. A letter is a physical object that causes us to use all our sense. A letter is a physical object that tells you that a person doesn’t mind donating their time to you. A letter is a physical object that is unique and can have only one original. A letter is a physical object that contains thoughts and emotions. A letter is a physical object that shares ones thoughts, hopes, aspirations and dreams, it enables the writer and the receiver to share a bond. A letter is a physical object that has the power to make an impact in a person’s life.

Do you remember those days when we would sit by the window and compose letters of all kinds, strongly worded ones, romantic ones, funny ones, musical ones, deep ones? You don’t? Me neither. They seem to be one of the many things that are getting thrown out of our lives due to the continuous improvement in technology. We would all rather stick to be restricted to 140 characters on twitter, a passing thought on Facebook and an instant connection on FaceTime or Skype.

But we all seem to have forgotten the art that is letter writing. The tradition of writing down ones feelings, revealing ones desires and pouring down ones secrets on paper. A way that we can undoubtedly put ourselves in time, infuse ourselves into the history of a person’s life with the memorabilia to go with it. There is an art in writing letters, the way a person scribes words and the techniques they use, their choice of paper, choice of pen and sometimes, sadly even pencils.

‘Why would anyone want to write letters?’ This is probably the only thing running through your head at this very moment. In a world where text messaging and social networking seem to be the norm and the art of hand written letters is fast becoming extinct, it is not a wonder that you would ask this question. However, this can only be thought of as a shame, I personally believe that the next best thing to a person showing up at your door is them taking their time to put ink to paper and write to you words filled with emotions and extreme personality. Personality from the way you dot your I’s, personality from the way you tilt you’re a when you try to make it look fanciful and personality from the way you sing.

But now our words which are filled with meanings and precious droppings of our personality cannot be saved, put away safely in a box filled with gems, tucked away in our most secret place away from the prying eyes of all and kept for only the sake of romanticism.

What stops us from taking advantage of the phenomenon that is letter writing? We try to blame it on the fact that they are not needed anymore but primarily, it all comes down to one thing, laziness. We are all willing to spend our time learning lyrics of songs, we spend it chatting continuously and some of us even spend it trying to make other people’s lives living hells and yet we cannot take even a bit of time to compose a letter that could in turn brighten someone else’s day.

Take a moment to sit down and compose a letter and I want you to watch the spring that you could bring to a person’s step and if you can tell me it isn’t worth it, then I oblige you to please stick to text messaging.

Page | 20

Bilborough Student Half-life wins prize for Science (Flip a coin to choose the ending; heads is left verse, tails is right verse) Communication I lay in peace snoozing By Pam Richings and stoutly refusing to budge or force open my eyes. Year 13 student Josie Gilbert has My owner was musing- won the 2015 Bill Bryson prize for a thought quite confusing, Science Communication. The Bill and one which could bring my demise. Bryson Prize is a creative science Deep in his mind a box he did find. communication competition He told me: “Inside there’ll be food.” organised annually by the Royal His smile was kind; Society of Chemistry. It is open to like a fool, I was blind. students around the world from When the lid slammed my hunger subdued. ages 5–18. There are three The inside was empty! categories: ages 5–11, 12–14 and But then my preemptiveness 15–18. Josie’s entry won first prize proved to be fatally wrong. in the senior category - a signed A flask held a source- copy of Bill Bryson’s book ‘A Short I was filled with remorse History of nearly Everything’, and for I knew then it wouldn’t be long. £400 in cash. She will be attending A decay was expected- a presentation event in London in emitted, then next it July where she will receive her would cause the glass vessel to shatter. prize from the author himself. This radioactive source held my life captive The theme for 2015 was Chance. and made it an unstable matter. Entries could be submitted in any I stayed in denial form and previous entries have but after a while when nearly an hour had passed- included videos, songs, sculptures, I felt something strange posters, poems, press articles, as my timelines exchanged cartoons, games, magazines, and reality gave up its mask. plays and podcasts. The judges I soon was aware were looking for imaginative I was one of a pair- entries that communicate science existing in two different states. in interesting ways. They took into Our lives all entangled; account things like spelling and the future now mangled, grammar as well as evidence that and doomed to face both of our fates. the science behind each entry had We’d stopped at a junction. been investigated. The final This quantum wave function judging panel was made up of Bill would soon collapse according to chance. Bryson himself, the Royal Society For now it preserved of Chemistry President and the but if ever observed editors of Education in Chemistry one would die while the other advanced. and Chemistry World magazines. My owner’s ambition to view my condition Josie’s winning entry was a poem now forced him to lift up the lid. about Schrödinger’s cat – a really The superposition went into remission. sophisticated piece of creative I winced as I curled up and hid. writing which was scientifically Then I sighed in relief Then I heard the glass break; accurate. In simple terms, for to my disbelief that’s all it would take Schrödinger stated that if you curiosity saved me today. and I knew that my time here had ended. place a cat and something that I had made it unharmed; My luck had run out- could kill the cat (a radioactive my partner disarmed I was left with no doubt atom) in a box and sealed it, you at the mercy of random decay. that my counterpart’s life had extended. would not know if the cat was dead or alive until you opened the box, But dead or alive, so that until the box was opened, as a thought I survive. the cat was (in a sense) both And what could be better than that? "dead and alive". Josie’s poem Though incomprehensible, included an element of chance, as I’m irrepressible, the reader is invited to flip a coin to Schrodinger’s now unforgettable decide the cat’s fate before cat. reading the poem.

Page | 21

Gilly Archer says Au Revoir…

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music that he hears, however measured or far away." (Henry David Thoreau)

No one is more surprised than I that I have spent two thirds of my life in a career I never planned to follow. (The photo is me in my second year of teaching in 1973).That is my life lesson: things don't always turn out as you intend, but it doesn't have to be a disaster. My star sign is Pisces - two fish swimming in opposite directions, which (apart from the swimming bit - something I never mastered) seems appropriate for someone who has always been torn between convention and rebellion - it makes for some interesting dilemmas.

To be an author was my ambition. I spent hours at our local library in Brentford, graduating from pony, school and ballet stories to fantasy and historical novels; and I wrote - short stories, a couple of little novels and plenty of poetry, sending them to magazines and receiving polite rejection slips. Nevertheless, I left my convent grammar school at 16 to take a Diploma in secretarial studies with languages in preparation for my intended career in journalism (and I took a couple of A levels at night school, too).

However, working as a secretary every college holiday soon convinced me that I was not cut out for office work - I am not very good at sitting still! So I decided to go to university, not something any of my relatives had ever contemplated, and gained a degree in English and American Literature, which was a very avant garde combination in 1967! The writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (which are all about self-reliance and simple living and following your dreams) inspired me - I particularly liked the quotation from Thoreau's "Walden" that starts this article.

After university, frankly sick of taking exams and with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do next - I came to Nottingham because the University offered one of the first non-exam assessed Post Graduate Certificates in Education; and without my even suspecting it, my fate was sealed. Who knew when I wrote one of my dissertations on "The Sixth Form College" (which was just an idea in 1970) that I would spend most of my career teaching in one...

So what kept me in a career I fell into by accident? Well, there have been so many changes during my time at Bilborough that it has seemed like several different careers. I worked for 7 different Principals and took on a variety of roles and found I loved working with students. I have, for some reason, a vivid memory of what it was like to be 17 (albeit in a world with no mobile phones, iPads, internet, HD TV, or social media, but perhaps some similar worries, hopes and anxieties). I can remember wishing I was someone else, that I was thinner (this was the age of Twiggy) that my hair was straight (it was also the era of the sleek hairstyle). I also remember a rather dramatic quotation that inspired me then – “anything can be a tragedy or a triumph – it’s up to you”. The frustrations of teaching faded when a lesson went well, or a student suddenly grasped a difficult concept. No two days were ever quite the same – I could plunge from the depths of despair to glorious elation in the space of an hour (which of course was pretty unsettling, but never boring). I loved searching for ways to make things relevant and inspiring; and I also learnt from my students.

Events I remember vividly tend to be dramatic: touring children's theatre shows round local primary schools, performing street theatre in the Old Market Square, staging productions at the Theatre Royal and Nottingham Playhouse, creating nativity experiences at a local farm with my tutor groups at Christmas and the annual student-led production; and it's fun hearing about past students who have found fame and those who, like me, went on to do something they never contemplated, but found that it didn't matter.

Page | 22

A la recherche du temps perdu… …some snaps from my old photo albums that give some insight into the very different Bilborough I worked in for the first 20 of my 44 years here. Time to move on now. Gilly Archer x

th Trip to York, 1973 7 Year 1973 (Year 13)

Lovely 3T 1973

1st Production: ‘Hay Fever’, 1973 6th Production: 'Salad Days' 1979 My beloved 5G, 1974

'The Edwardians' at the Theatre Royal, 1981

Annual Haworth Trip

'West Side Story' 1982

Nativity Experience with Tugor Group, 1984 Children's Theatre in Making wigs for 'Trial the Market Square by Jury', 1985

With Guy at the Secondary Maternity leave 1986 English Dept Meeting, 1986 Arts Project, summer 1987 (holding Emma Phillips)

Page | 23

DOCTOR LARA ALCOCK

Author and Mathematical Education Researcher visits Bilborough College

The maths department were very privileged to host a visiting lecturer from Loughborough University. The eminent mathematician, author and mathematical education researcher Doctor Lara Alcock delivered a very thought provoking and enjoyable talk on the topic of “studying for a maths degree”. Her enthusiastic and lively delivery captivated the students from the outset. She has pioneered different approaches to teaching degree level maths and is one of the first academics to publish books from a student perspective.

The hour long talk was interspersed with intriguing problems for the students to consider and discuss. The possible solutions offered challenged all of our intuitive initial responses. Lara provided a very useful and perceptive insight into the mathematical challenges ahead. She then moved on to how to study most effectively for a maths degree and provided advice on settling in to becoming a successful maths student. The evidence provided on how student performance in various areas can be substantially improved by teaching self evaluation methods was convincing. She described how research was conducted with different groups of maths students and lecturers and some pretty cool technology. Monitors were used, which bounced infra red beams off the back of the reader’s eyes when learning from a script. Although at a cost of £30,000 each I don’t expect college will be getting many soon?

After an hour of speaking Lara spent a further hour answering questions and chatting to students. The feedback from students was very positive, and the atmosphere was buzzing throughout her visit. Lara was really impressed with everything about how our maths students conducted themselves. She was shocked at how much they already knew and really appreciated the thoughtful and intelligent questions they asked. The students were a real credit to the college and Lara is very keen to come again next year.

MATHS CHALLENGE By Bilborough College Maths Department

Bilborough Students’ success in the UK Challenges

The UK maths challenge is a long standing national event run annually by the United Kingdom Maths Trust. There are individual and team events for different age groups. The senior challenge is open to students from across the UK. It is run jointly with the Further Maths Support Network and supported by Rolls-Royce plc. This year’s event attracted entries from over 600,000 students from over 4.000 schools and colleges for the individual events and over 1300 schools and colleges entered the team challenge.

Bilborough students put a lot of effort into preparing for these events. We are only allowed one team of four students for the team event and sixteen hopefuls sat the selection test. Every student that sat it prepared and performed very well and we could easily have picked four strong teams. Unfortunately the rules did not permit that and our team of: Jason Zhang, Alistair Benford, Vivian Su and Christina Zhang were selected. Practice sessions were arranged and quickly the students decided that they wanted to devote four lunch reaks a week to their preparation. This dedication paid off as the team steadily improved, recognising each other's strengths and fine tuning tactics for each round of the competition.

The Regional final was held at Nottingham University on Wednesday 26th November. It was attended by teams from schools and colleges from across the East Midlands. Our team quickly settled down to answering the practice questions on their table in preparation for three rounds of extremely challenging maths problems. Page | 24

They maintained their concentration and determination to score full marks in the forty minute group question round and the following forty minute crossnumber round, which they completed inside twenty minutes. Their only small slip up came in getting just one question wrong in the final relay round. A superb effort and a well deserved final result.

1st Bilborough Sixth Form College 2nd Oakham School 3rd St Mary’s RC High School Chesterfield

This was followed by a visit to the National Final at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London on February 3rd where after a very early start and long coach journey the team set about an intensive day of maths problems. Unfortunately a couple of mistakes in the first round ended any real chance of victory, but despite this early setback the students remained focussed and determined and performed outstandingly well in the second and third rounds to finish a very credible 24th out of the 80 teams and the highest placed sixth form college.

Victorious East Midlands Regional Final Team 2015

In addition to our excellent performance in the team maths challenge, 76 of our students took part in the individual Senior Maths Challenge. They faced an hour of taxing questions and came out with some excellent results. 13 students obtained gold awards, 13 silver and 29 bronze. Following on from this, Alistair Benford, Catherine Wang and Jason Zhang were eligible to take part in the British Maths Olympiad and ten other students qualified for the Senior Maths Kangaroo. These are following on rounds for the best scorers in the country.

Jason Zhang went on to get through all the rounds and eventually only very narrowly missing out on the final round in which the UK team for the international competition is selected. He gained a certificate of achievement and a bronze medal from the Maths Olympiad.

Alistair Benford achieved a certificate of qualification for the Maths Olympiad.

David Jackson, Snow Du, Nathan Sun, James Hollis and Catherine Wang all achieved certificates of merit for performing highly in the Maths Kangaroo.

Matthew Maiden, Katherine Voice, Vivian Su and Matthew Jackson all received certificates of participation for qualifying for the Maths Kangaroo.

Well done to all of those very successful students and congratulations are due to all of the Bilborough College Maths students who took part in this very challenging competition.

Page | 25

Artist Workshops at the Nottingham Contemporary written by Jas Lucas, A2 student

Last month I had the privilege of taking part in Nottingham Contemporary’s first set of artist workshops for 15 – 25 year olds. These hands on sessions involve a new guest artist (every month) bringing together and leading young creative people in making a collaborative piece that is eventually showcased to other young adults in an event which is held on the last Saturday evening of the month. And who else should be the first guest artist to run these workshops but Bilborough College Art Department’s very own teacher Maddy Burt?

A team of artistic strangers were brought together in the first week of October, completely unaware that we were going to come together and create some incredible digital and sculptural pieces to be proud of! Maddy gave us the brief; to make a piece/pieces inspired by the artists Agnieszka Polska and Raphael Hefti. These two inspiring artists’ work is being exhibited at Nottingham Contemporary until 4th January 2015, and it’s a show not to be missed!

The showcasing event was an exciting moment for us as young aspiring artists; we had a large space at one of the best contemporary art galleries in the UK to present work that we had made that we were extremely proud of! This involved two atmospheric digital displays we made using a microscope on everyday objects that had interesting textures or light, and another projection with the microscope attached for the public to create their own images and videos to display. There was an installation piece in the centre of the space which also explored texture, we used everyday objects, origami and lace to reflect Nottingham’s heritage.

I would thoroughly recommend signing up for a month of workshops, or the Saturday night events as something to come along to! They have a great atmosphere and it’s an amazing opportunity to view inspiring work, relax with some friends and get creating pieces yourself to some music picked by other young creatives.

If you want to get involved in any future workshops or events for young people at Nottingham Contemporary, contact me at

Circuit Connecting 15 - 25 year olds to the arts

Circuit is a four year national programme connecting 15–25 year olds to the arts in galleries and museums working in partnership with the youth and cultural sector. Led by Tate and funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, it provides opportunities for young people to steer their own learning and create cultural activity across art disciplines.

Circuit involves Tate Modern and Tate Britain; Tate Liverpool; Tate St Ives and partners from the Plus Tate network: Firstsite, Colchester; MOSTYN, Llandudno North Wales; Nottingham Contemporary; Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; and Wysing Arts Centre and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridgeshire. Circuit is a new national youth network for the visual arts. Funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Circuit aims to reach 80,000 young people aged 15–25 over four years, through festivals, sustained partnership work and artist-led projects. Find out more @ https://circuit.tate.org.uk/

[email protected] and I can point you in the right direction.

Page | 26

Page | 27

NOTTINGHAM PRO-GAY RIGHTS PROTEST By Izaak Bosman

Bilborough College’s Amnesty International Society Host Protest

Before the holidays, the streets of Nottingham were host to a gay rights protest organised by Bilborough’s own amnesty international society. The group, run as an enrichment at the college, aims to uphold amnesty international’s ideology of protecting human rights worldwide. Therefore, the group took to the streets in order to campaign against Gambia’s newly imposed anti- gay bill. Spearheaded by a student based team of around twenty members, a humble yet dedicated array of individuals met at the Brian Clough statue in Nottingham’s city centre to begin an afternoon long campaign.

In Gambia, the newly introduced sanctions will see The Spook's Apprentice homosexuals throughout the West African state facing life imprisonment for participating in ‘aggravated By Thea Paraguas homosexuality’. The new law was put into effect by the country’s president Yahya Jammeh on the 9th of October, 2014. 'The Spook's Apprentice', a tale

Subsequent to the bill’s assertion, amnesty international brimming with fantasy and adventure began an investigation into its implications. Having worked with West African LGBTQ groups (standing for ensnares the readers through its vivid Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning), and blood-curdling mysteries as well as the organisation realised this statement: its captivating plot. The story begins {Since the bill’s assertion} at least three women, four men and a 17-year-old boy were arrested between November with a young boy 'Thomas Ward' who is 7 and 13 and threatened with torture because of their suddenly hurled into a world haunted presumed sexual orientation. Another six women were arrested on November 18 and 19 and remain in detention. by vengeful witches, ghouls and

The new laws continue to impact upon the countries demonic beasts, where he must already dire human rights crisis and many critics argue overcome his fear and attempt to that the nation’s president should have used his constitutional powers to reject the bill. succeed where many have failed before

Therefore, Bilborough’s Amnesty International society set him, and so whilst the country is being about raising awareness for gay rights as the issue of overrun by monstrous and loathsome Gambia’s new laws were was democratically selected from a range of topics by members of Bilborough College. creatures of the dark, he is facing the

“We feel that it’s important to engage with the students of substantial responsibilities of being the Bilborough College and target issues that appeal to worlds last hope against the forces of them,” a spokesperson for the enrichment told The Waffle. “Allowing them to choose our focus means that evil. The ambiance of mystery and we are able to represent a range of individuals and thus raise further awareness with the necessary internal desolation is portrayed throughout the support from our fellow students.” novella and I strongly recommend this

The group has deemed the protest a huge success. With book to anyone looking for a the organisation calling the event “the first of many” in response to being asked about the future of Bilborough’s memorable series with an enthralling amnesty International’s events. The protest took place in and spine-chilling plot. Nottingham on Saturday 13th, December between 2 and 6 pm. Page | 28

THE SHOW MUST GO ON Warning: This Lot Are Probably More Able Than You

The Nottingham Playhouse recently proudly hosted a revival of 2001 production The Show Must Go On. This title might remind you of that similarly proud and popular Queen song from 1990, which chronicled the dying efforts of Freddie Mercury to continue performing as he sadly reached the end of his life. Well, last Friday’s performance brought a similar energy to the stage. It challenged audience expectations, and left you gasping for air thanks to the ingenious spontaneity, humour and surprise of what unfolded.

After what seemed like a lifetime sat waiting in our seats watching an empty stage, we were suddenly greeted by the arrival of all twenty or so performers spontaneously emerging silently from both wings. Once onstage they formed an asymmetrically pedestrian arrangement, and their arrival came as a relief to say the least. My mind had been beginning to wander in contemplation as to whether they had forgotten to turn up, or if something had waylaid them backstage. But little did I know that the show had already began well before all of this. The DJ himself, who had been playing various contemporary tracks from his desk at the front of the auditorium since our arrival, was soon to play more of an active role in the show than anyone had anticipated…

In fact, everything was so ambiguous and spontaneous, the experience soon became ultimately unique and we were glued to our seats in awe. So it seemed acclaimed French choreographer and dancer Jérôme Bel had already nailed his intense “search for authenticity” with his piece, something which only became increasingly evident. Particularly when faced with sudden onstage crescendos that arise from a series of seemingly controlled and relaxed initial movements. These moments rise to a roar of utmost chaos, and at these points I’d probably even advise viewer discretion. However, I think this played an important role in the show. It certainly proved that no physical disability can get in the way of one’s potential to captivate and shock.

But this Candoco Dance Company show also explores the relationship between life and art through non-dance, which is something of a choreographic movement going on within contemporary dance right now. This school of thought encourages performers to contribute their own ideas and work in collaboration with the practitioner. And that seems to have resulted in an electric show that can jump from one extreme to the other throughout.

At one point, it even seemed as though the show had abruptly ended. The lights dropped and all the performers left the stage, which felt delightfully odd because it honestly didn’t feel like we’d been sat there long at all. But wait, they were back! And we were soon exposed to a sudden beam of white light, staring at them face to face as they stood analysing us. Or more appropriately, they were “watching” us. It seemed it was our turn to experience the vulnerability that many with disabilities are made to feel each day, and even after a few minutes I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Though The Show Must Go On was also a real chance for the performers to showcase their incredible abilities. For ninety minutes these lot certainly prove they’ve still “got the power”. Plus their potency made The Show Must Go On a scintillatingly good watch, and definitely makes this worth seeing if Dance 4 decide to revive it again in future.

Page | 29

Who is she you may ask? Well she may not be the first BTEC PUBLIC female teenager our age that you think of when someone mentions icon or inspiration. No she’s not Kylie SERVICES or Kendall, Zendaya, or Alyson Stone. She does By Louise Jones however share one thing in common with celebrities the likes of Emma Watson, Beyonce, Little Mix and even Tupac. She may not live a lifestyle that most of the In September 2014 students celebrities that were just mentioned do, but her voice is embarked on a new course to just as valid. Malala Yousafzai is a feminist as well as a Bilborough College; BTEC Public Muslim activist. Services. This is designed for anyone interested in a career in public services. Throughout the year we have had many guest speakers in from the Police, Army, Navy, British Transport Police, we even had a local politician. A highlight has to be the links we have made with Stockhill Fire Station and their crews, with visits for both groups of Public Services Students being arranged. Following risk assessment by the fire service and the college, students have participated in many activities over Born 12th July 1997, Malala Yousafzai grew up in Pakistan the three visits to allow them to with her parents and two younger brothers. She rose in experience what a career in the fire prominence during 2008, when her father would ask her service might entail. to speak about the Taliban banning education for girls. In

2009 she was asked by BBC bloggers to document her The third visit for the Extended life as a girl living under the Taliban’s influence, even Diploma group took place on though Malala could risk being killed for voicing her Thursday 23rd April and opinion. Nevertheless she decided to let the world know involved the students putting on what the teenagers, like me and you (in Swat Valley, full personal protective Pakistan) had to go through. Not even 17 yet, and equipment (PPE) and documentaries were already being made about her, not participating in some of the quite like the ‘reality’ shows like ‘Keeping Up with the entry requirements for the fire Kardashians’ or ‘The Simple Life’. Her life was far from service, including using simple. breathing apparatus, hose

carry, dragging of a casualty Thought you had a bad day at college and couldn’t wait etc. Louise (the teacher) also to go home? On the 9th of October 2012, gun men shot at got involved on the act and was happy to win one of the Malala, and she was hit by a bullet that went through her relay races. head, through her neck, and her shoulder after coming

back from an exam. News of this circulated around the The students all reported to have had a great afternoon world and Malala was given much deserved recognition. and we look forward to building on the relationships we After successful medical surgery to remove the bullet, have made with all the public services. . Malala proceeded to feature on the front cover of ‘Times

Magazine’ and was featured alongside Beyonce in ‘The

100 most influential people in the world’.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI It’s mad to think that the thought of an Egg McMuffin and By Tianna Williams. a Starbucks caramel frappe motivates me on those mornings when I can’t be bothered to get out of bed to “The most influential receive a free education at a college just 15 minutes away. Females like Malala Yousafzai are such teenager in the world” inspirations; let’s take a moment to appreciate the Malala’s of the world on the college mornings when we Some of us girls hope to achieve the perfect winged can’t be bothered. eyeliner, eyebrows, hairstyle or outfit no later than 8:30am on a college day. Malala Yousafzai, has managed to achieve the title of the ‘Youngest Nobel Prize Winner’ already at just 17 years of age. Page | 30

BTEC Business Networking Event By Laura Goulding

On Friday 15th May 22 BTEC students went to the Park Plaza Hotel for a Networking Event. The event was organised in conjunction between Business in the Community and the Nottingham Business Club. The Nottingham Business Club is the oldest club outside of London and is made up of small and large business owners from across the Nottinghamshire area. The students were given the opportunity to network with the business owners. The owners offered advice, work experience, and even help for our students to get apprenticeships in the future. The students were exceptional during the event, they acted with maturity, confidence and made the most of all opportunities presented to them. They all took the dress to impress dress code very seriously! All of the business owners commented on their professionalism and enthusiasm.

It was a great event and we hope to take part in more events like this in the near future!

Music Technology Success Stories By James Quested

Music Technology has been well established for some years now at Bilborough College. As we are one of the only centres regionally to offer the A Level qualification students choose Bilborough specifically to study the subject, with many of our students going on to Higher Education or industry. Below are just some of the departments’ recent success stories of past students:

Philip George Woodhead AKA Philip George achieved stardom this year by reaching number 2 in the UK top 40 charts and number 1 in the Dance chart with the song “Wish You Were Mine”.

Dog Is Dead – Is a 5 piece with 3 members that studied at Bilborough College - Robert White, Joss Van Wilder & Laurence Cole. Signed to Atlantic Records that have previously signed famous artists including Aretha Franklin and Coldplay. Some of their success stories include writing the theme tune to Channel 4’s “Skins” television series and having multiple performances at Glastonbury.

Connor Turner (on the left) AKA NVOY after leaving Bilborough College attended the prestigious School of Audio Engineering in London (SAE). He is now producing house music and running club nights.

Page | 32

Saul Crombie and Elliott Humphreys AKA Saula & Radic. Both ex- Bilborough College students that have gone on to produce House music and create their own record label Tumble Audio.

Joe Murphy – One bit productions. While attending Bilborough College Joe came 4th in the country for Music Technology he then went on to attend Sir Paul McCartney’s university Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). He now runs his own studio in London and has worked with many up and coming artists and also produced work for the BBC and recent Nokia and Volvo adverts.

Charlie Howarth (far right) – Bass player for a band called Field Studies. Tipped as one of the new up and coming bands from Nottingham, Field Studies are playing on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury this year.

Raja Virdi – After studying Music Technology and Media at Bilborough College Raja has gone on to start his own music video production company working with the likes of Sam Smith and Wilkinson.

Other possible future success stories in the making of past Bilborough College students include Sam Ziajka and George Pierson. They are both attending the highly prestigious Tonmeister Degree at Surrey University. With just 40 places nationwide and entry requirements of AAA at A level including maths and physics and musical performance grade 7. This course is the only in the country to offer work experience at Abbey Road Studios.

Henry Bentham is currently attending LIPA. This is again another highly prestigious university, with very strict entry requirements and extremely competitive audition and interview process to gain a placement. Other students are set to head that way from us this year having been given conditional placement offers.

Other exclusive universities we feed into on a yearly basis also include Leeds School of Music, School of Audio Engineering (SAE) and York.

Page | 33

IB Turns 5! By David Shaw

Bilborough College celebrated 5 years of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme today with a reunion of past and present students. The first cohort of students who have now finished their university degrees were on hand to pass on words of advice and wisdom to current students and it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with old friends and teachers. The course, which has been a fantastic success since it began in 2009 with just 23 students, is currently taken by nearly 90 students at the college. The college’s recent OFSTED report noted that students who take the IB diploma “achieve particularly well and make extremely good progress”.

Alex Simpson, who left Bilborough in 2011 and who has just graduated from University College London with a 2:1 in French and Italian and who has been accepted for a 2 year law placement at a prestigious city law firm had the following message for potential IB applicants. “If you want a challenge but want to ensure that you study a variety of things, then study the IB. There is no better preparation for university.” Sophia Drozdowska, who left Bilborough in 2013 said that the IB had taught her to “take her academic career seriously and meet a great group of people”, and she is looking forward to spending next year in Canada on a study placement from her course in International Business at the University of Edinburgh.

David Shaw, who has been IB coordinator since the programme started in 2009 commented, “It is great to see so many familiar faces in the same room. Hearing about their subsequent achievements and stories of the ways in which studying the IB diploma continues to influence their lives gives us great pride and helps all of us who teach on the programme realise the important work we are doing every day to prepare our students for global citizenship in the 21st Century.

The event was also an opportunity to say goodbye to Maggie Burrows who is retiring at the end of the academic year. Maggie has been a lynchpin of the IB in her role as CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) coordinator since the programme started and her enthusiasm and encouragement for students to develop the extra-curricular side of their characters will be sadly missed.

Page | 34

Careers Reflective Gaming By Helen Holden Course at Bilborough On the 12th March we had a very successful Careers fair with over 70 attenders including Universities, Gap Year College providers, and Apprenticeship providers. This was held By Rafael Marques de Albuquerque in the sports hall between 11am and 3pm. It was extremely busy with most year 12 students attending. The feedback from employers was excellent.

It is very common to hear people say such things as On 17th March there was a lunchtime session with “video games are bad for you”, and sometimes even Project Trust – a gap year organisation. They have “video games are good for you”. Recently, I had the projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas. 21 students opportunity go a little deeper into this discussion with attended the talk. fourteen sharp minded students in a “Reflective Gaming Course” in Bilborough College, as an enrichment course. On 22nd and 23rd April 2 buses and a minibus of year 12 students were taken to the University of Leicester for the We discussed the positive and negative effects that annual UCAS fair. All UK Universities attend this playing video games can have, including many research conference so it is always an extremely useful event. findings about how games are involved with learning, cognition, stereotypes, aggression and addiction. We On 28th April 11 students attended a talk from the played some games and analysed their potential to offer organisation “A Star Future”. This was a really constructive experiences. Opinions, knowledge and interesting and informative talk on opportunities for preconceptions regarding games were shared and students wanting to study abroad. problematized, looking for deeper understandings of what games can do for players. 1st May Cardiff University were in college at lunchtime. This was a drop in session in student support with the The course did not aim to define what the best way to play opportunity for interested students to find out more about games is. Instead, it was designed to expand the the University. possibilities of what games can be, so each student can take more informed decisions on which games to play, for how long, and in which ways.

Hopefully students ended up the course having some ideas on how to make gaming more enriching for them, besides, obviously, having fun! I would like to thank the brilliant participation of the fourteen students and the support of Julie Ham, Maddy Varley and other staff members of Bilborough College for making this research possible and enjoyable!

Rafael Marques de Albuquerque is a course tutor and researcher.

Page | 35

Work & Community Placement By Jenny McGeehan

Students employed to mentor pupils at Ellis Guilford in Maths or English Our students needed to be studying Maths or English at A Level. Our students could pick up as many hours as they felt they could manage within reason and without (of course) interfering with their studies. 17 students have been working to support Pupil Premium YR11 students who are currently predicted anything from 3Cs to 3As. 12 of those students have become “real regulars” They are gaining experience working in a school in a coaching position acting as a peer mentors. This scheme is working really well and students from Ellis Guilford have been enjoying the help being given. When YR11s left our students started coaching yr10s. This scheme has also included ex Ellis students, offering great role models to the school. Ellis Guilford have recently been inspected and the Inspectors were really interested in the use of peer coaches in raising the attainment of their Y11 students – particularly as their progress of their Pupil Premium students in English exceeds the national expectations.

Their website www.ellisguilfordschool.co.uk

Transferable Skills Session March 11th 1.20 – 3pm Undergraduates from Nottingham University spent time with our students assessing what work/volunteering they have or have had and then helped our students to understand their huge amount of transferable skills. By pointing out these transferable skills students could see how they might write great Personal Statements, letters to future employers etc.

Taster session for students interested in Law. 18th March C1.09 1.25 – 3.30/4pm Nottingham law graduates delivered this session as part of their Probono work. This was an activity based around social media laws and what protection there actually is. Students learnt about various things from cookies, to hacking, to what you can and can’t say or do on the internet and who is watching. They looked one case where a man was put on trial for posting a joke bomb threat on Twitter. It was very interesting to hear the limits and see what our rights to privacy actually are. This session pointed out things that were a bit alarming in this fast moving technological era!

A representative from Forces in the Community came in to College on the 24th March Tina Harvey came to raise awareness and gain volunteers to help support Veterans and their families and to help out at the Beeston office in Nottingham http://www.forces.org.uk/

Herbert Smith Freehills ran a FREE workshop to year 12s to give students an insight into a career in law on 10th April Places were limited and students had to sign up for the event. When advertising the event I couldn’t however mention to them that Herbert Smith Freehills would be offering an all-expenses paid trip to London to shadow within their firm! Seven students signed up and attended along with many other students across the city, I don’t know as yet if one of our students has been lucky to gain the top prize. http://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/

Dentistry Afternoon 1st April Two ex-students came in to deliver a taster session Mozammel Haque an ex-student who is at Leeds studying Dentistry and in his 4th year and Naomi Harrington who is now a practising dentist. They came in and delivered a session covering these areas:

 The preparation as a yr12 dental student and what you should be doing to make a successful application.  What it is like as a dental student at Uni and what they do, placements etc., research etc.  When you return after your AS exams we start work on Personal statements, Mozammel and Naomi will help you get started by giving you guidelines and things to think about.  Ethics in dentistry.  Life as a dentist and the work it entails

Page | 36

Boots held another ShineBright careers event Friday 24th April from 5pm – 7pm 10 students attended this with parents. The event was designed to showcase all of the early careers options for students following their education. Everything from being a Pharmacist, Optometrist to joining one of the many Apprenticeship Programmes across areas like Supply Chain, Science, IT and Finance. They got to hear and see more about their StepIn2 Boots programme designed for 16-18 year olds and their Future Leaders Programme for 18+ after A-Levels. Students were able to find out more about what it is like to work at Boots and their award winning work experience programme – which many of our Bilborough students have gone on before! Boots hosted skills workshops giving students a great chance to brush up on those CV writing skills and they could have a go at a practice assessment centre. http://www.boots.jobs/talentprogrammes/apprentices/apprentices-where-to-shine-bright.html

Representative from CHILDLINE came into College to hold a stand in Student Support on 30th April Rosie Golton from Childline was here to recruit volunteers. Students would be given training and work in the Nottingham branch, after training students can take this skill to other Childline centres across the country, therefore suiting those in yr13 and moving on. She attracted a lot of attention as more than 25 students signed up to be invited to an information evening. http://www.nspcc.org.uk/volunteer

UKCAT preparation session On the 6th of May 1.30 – 4pm 29 students squashed into a classroom! This was very well attended as students were very keen to get some vital practice and find out some helpful tips about the UKCAT. Students had a chance to try out practice questions which will now help to focus their minds that they do need to prepare and practice. The key message delivered on that day was practice practice practice. http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/

This session was delivered by WAMS (Widening Access to Medical School) Nottingham University Medical Undergraduates. http://www.wamsnottingham.com/

On the 17th June, a STEM event will be taking place at College Yr 12 students have been sent an email explaining the event asking them if they are studying any of the Sciences, Maths or ICT, also enquiring if they have an interest in a science career, a career in health, medical/clinical engineering? 80 students are invited to attend this all day event at College. They must all register with me to be included in this event. For any student interested in the above this is an opportunity not to be missed and will be a very valuable thing to add to personal statements.

The aim of the day is to highlight NHS healthcare science careers BUT NOT just focusing on medicine and nursing, although any student interested in those careers should also attend. Students have been sent the following information:

So what’s it like working in the NHS? Few careers are as rewarding, or give you the opportunity to work with such a wide variety of people, as a career in the NHS

With the NHS employing more than one million people and treating one million people every 36hrs, they need to recruit the best that could be you.

Watch the video of real life stories of people working within Healthcare Science http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/healthcare-science/

There is a huge variety of careers available in the NHS, check out this link http://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/careers-list-a-z.aspx

And some more videos http://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/video.aspx

But what are the NHS looking for in their graduates check out this link to see http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/healthcare-science/education-and-training/nhs-scientist-training- programme-(stp)/who-are-we-looking-for/ Page | 37

Did you know the NHS can help develop your career check out the link http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/working-in-the-nhs/developing-your-career/

45 students have signed up so far.

WAMS are running their Day in the life of a doctor on the 25th July 10am – 4pm at the Medical School Taking names at present. This event has been run before and students that have attended it found it to be very worthwhile.

A selection of a few other events and opportunities that have been happening Students have had the opportunity to attend a Speech and Language evening, go to a Kidney Research and information day, Midwifery days.

Over this academic year students have had work shadowing at our local hospitals, and GP surgeries, covering areas from Anaesthetics, Audiology, Neurology, Rheumatology, Pharmacy, Surgical, Digestive disease to name but a few, with at least 29 placements and more to happen over the summer months.

Students have been helping out in care-homes and specialist schools across both counties and our students regularly help in charity shops and schools across the counties.

Many students have taken part in legal work shadowing alongside solicitors, some lucky enough to go to court.

Students are signing up to take part in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Summer Reading Challenge, they have volunteered to help with Nottingham Rugby, they have sold tickets for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time to raise money for Autism.

Students held an Interfaith Week 9th- 13th February in college to celebrate different and learn about different faiths. As part of this the Islamic Society held sessions in the faith room for students to experience readings from the Qur’an, and filmed their reactions. They also offered the opportunity for students to ask anonymous questions about the Islamic faith. They filmed the answers to the questions and posted them on You Tube.

Page | 38

Race for Life Abbie-Joelle Skliarsky By Joanne Taylor 2011-2013 Ten girls year 12 and 13 took part in the race for life yesterday at Believe it or not, attending Bilborough was some of best years of my Victoria Embankment on the 7th of June. All ten finished and received life. During those two years, I was kicked out of my home, only spoke a medal. All had undergone some to one member of my family and started living independently. But training at college during Bilborough helped the sun shine. Even though I had dark months, lunchtimes as part of the feeling lost and like doing anything but getting the bus to college, I enrichment programme were keen did. With the support from the welfare officers and teachers I and enthusiastic. Most of the girls conquered and I succeeded. Now I am on the best course in the UK managed to complete the 5k (3 for journalism – and attend a Russell Group University. I didn’t plan miles) in about 35 mins and raised on going to university, the thought of finances and having so much some money in sponsorship for other emotional stuff going on completely distracted me from UCAS Cancer research. Well done!!!! and personal statements.

After speaking to Maddy, the welfare officer about my hobbies and what I enjoyed within a few hours I had gone through the UCAS courses and picked out my top 5. Maddy printed out all of the information for each University and we went through them together. The University of Sheffield really appealed to me. She helped me with my UCAS Extra application as I had missed the actual deadline for applying. Sheffield acknowledged my extenuating circumstances and I got offered a place.

No matter where you’re at education wise, or emotionally there is somebody to help at Bilborough. Some of my teachers became like Staff and students family, people I could talk to when I was struggling or needed to talk things through. You can go to university, even if it might seem a little have collected a farfetched. 2 years on and I LOVE my course. I could not see myself further 117.66kg of anywhere else. I think back to May 2013 and wonder where I’d be food for local food now if Bilborough hadn’t given me the confidence and little push I needed. banks, which will be distributed to Bilborough felt like a learning platform but also somewhere I made families in need, in friends for life, in a modern environment with ace teachers and the latest technology. I learnt so much about myself during those two the local area. years – and it got me to a red brick university! I have so much to thank Bilborough College for. I miss studying there!

If you are considering coming to Bilborough, or currently attend and Derek Smith (Link need some advice or support – don’t suffer in silence. Bilborough will Bus Driver) has just welcome you with open arms. completed a 10 day

cycle challenge from Lands End to Thank you for the memories and John O’Groats, helping me grow into an independent, raising £1300 for determined young lady. the City Hospital

Page | 39

Reflections on Bilborough College By Peter Jones

This was written in 2001 after 20 years at the college Now I’m leaving this is how I’ll remember it…

I woke to discover my colleague's tongue in such proximity to my ear that, had he been conscious, the incident might have caused some embarrassment. I had made two fundamental errors the previous evening: pitching our tent on a slight incline, and choosing to lay out my sleeping bag on the lower side. Pinned against the wall of the tent by a heaving mound of flesh and with little chance of immediate escape I pondered on the amazing set of events of which this could be seen to be the bizarre culmination. I thought back to the first evening. The sun dipped low over the Irish Sea bathing the field in a warm glow as I looked out over all the tents with a strange sense of disbelief. For some reason we thought we could take 30 young people, unfamiliar with the rigours of long-distance walking before this year, and cover 193 miles in 9 days over mountain and moor land, pitching camp at a fresh spot each evening and moving on next day. I could not understand then how we were going to do it and now that the journey was almost complete I did not know how it First day at work with Martin Southgate had been done. Anyway, it did not seem important any more. 1st September 1981 What mattered was that we had experienced some astoundingly beautiful countryside, overcome individual physical and psychological barriers we had not even approached previously, and in doing so we had each shared something of ourselves with others. We had talked together, laughed together, cried together. For all those privileged to be part of it, it had been a precious time and it would not be an exaggeration to say that for some it had changed the whole direction of their life. I turned my head towards the gaping mouth, rhythmically spluttering like a coastal blow hole.... yes, altogether a unique experience.

The Coast to Coast Walk was the first of the big summer walks raising money for charity which now seem to have become an accepted part of the College Calendar. Although completing a recognised long distance walk brought the students a sense of personal achievement and gave the event some structure, it was the relationships that were forged and the intense appreciation of the natural world around us which made it memorable. In creating this balance it seems to me it epitomised all that is best about Bilborough College, an institution which has managed to work within a framework without becoming bound by it. In doing so it has enabled staff to maintain the enthusiasm for learning and for engaging positively with other individuals which makes them not just first class teachers but good people to be around. It is this homely but invigorating atmosphere which has meant so much to me and undoubtedly influenced my own approach to teaching over the years.

Back in the classroom I follow the syllabus and encourage students to jump through the hoops which will earn them their certificates and enable them to progress to the next stage of their career. But at the same time there is space to get to know and work alongside young people, bright enough to appreciate some of the fascination of the subject and polite enough to laugh at the wearisome jokes. Together we explore a store of knowledge which never fails to conjure up fresh surprises as another set of students brings its own understandings, and indeed misunderstandings, to familiar topics. Entering a classroom to teach Mathematics has always been a bit of an adventure for me, a foray into the unknown, and not always because I can't remember what it was we were doing last time. The precision and power of this language of logic and the fascinating visual imagery associated with it are an endless source of wonder. One has to be grateful to work in a place where an affective response is neither mocked on the one hand nor set on a scale of wondrousness on the other.

At Bilborough the recognition that not everything of value is easily categorised and measured is mirrored in the richness and diversity of College life beyond the classroom. Apart from the walks, there have been so many special activities which have served to bring people together and help them identify with the College as a community. One thinks back to the bus loads of local youngsters escorted around the American Adventure, the 'Stars in Their Eyes' Concerts, the Fun Sports, and the annual Christmas Ball. At the same time activities such as the evergreen Children's Theatre taking its home-

Page | 40

grown production around the local junior schools, or the painting of murals for the QMC Christmas Pantomime, have brought smaller groups of students together in a very special way.

There is a large and increasing pool of sporting and artistic talent amongst the students, and their performances, whether on the sports field or the stage, are for me not only a joy to watch but often a strangely moving experience. These are people I know, students I see regularly around the college doing normal student things like dropping litter or reviving each other with a spot of mouth-to-mouth. They may not even be studying a related subject, yet suddenly here they are transformed, displaying almost unbelievable skills and creativity. The Family Care Concert given in the Great Hall at Southwell Minster was one such event which sticks in the memory. It is this extra dimension which makes for a more rounded community and provides a more complete experience for each of its members.

Yet we have never been allowed to take ourselves too seriously. Despite the increasing pressures, which threaten to turn us all into memo maniacs that sense of fun always seems to bounce back. The ability to laugh at ourselves and take an irreverent view of the more ridiculous situations we face, sometimes helps us through another day. It is even a way of celebrating very different personalities in a positive way. Perhaps this has been seen best at some of the retirement events Staff v Students tug-of-war which have been organised over the years which have With Mike Hallmark and Andy Prior given the opportunity to show our affection for colleagues and affirm them without seeking to canonise them. Does anyone remember these snippets?

Oh Roy Downing, Oh Roy Downing We'll miss the dulcet echoes of Your voice across the exam room, Announcement of impending doom, So ditty sing, so ditty sing, Sod it, sod it, so ditty sing, Sod it, sod it, so ditty sing, So ditty sing to Roy Downing (sung to the tune of 'The Red Flag' by Martyn Offord) and They were talking about a security grill To go in the outer reception. It wasn't so Brenda would come to no ill, But the visitors needing protection. Brenda's heart is so big and so full of fun, It eclipses her mouth to be fair, Though to make sure you find your way to the one Fill the other with chocolate eclair.

All of these aspects of life at Bilborough form part of what has made it such a good place to be for so long. In a world of factory farming there is still a bit of the free-range farm about us. From the outside, knowing the names of all your chickens and allowing them space to flap their wings might appear a little quaint, almost romantic, but the reality is that it can be messy and it's hard work keeping it going.

In fact it is interesting to consider just how it has kept going in quite the way it has. Personal conviction drawn from professional, humanitarian and religious values has undoubtedly provided a strong sense of purpose over the years. Of late this has perhaps been strengthened by survival instincts directing us into our little niche in the market. Or maybe we just have to admit that it is more fun plodding around in your wellies, as it were, talking to chickens, than monitoring the inputs and outputs of battery pullets on a computer screen.

I am organising a social evening in September for Bilborough staff past and present to which anybody I have worked with, including governors of the college would be most welcome. If you want further details email [email protected]

Page | 41

Page | 42

MORE OLYMPIAD SUCCESS

Physics Nationally there were 6630 entries and again this year International student Jason Zhang entered the full we entered most of our Year 13 students, 11 IB students physics Olympiad run by Oxford University. Very few of and 20 of our best year 12 students to give it a try. our students have entered before as the standard is forbiddingly high and we often fare badly compared to In total 38 of our students were awarded medals and small schools who coach their pupils over many years. special congratulations go to the following: Our best previous performance in 2010 saw one of our most gifted students ever, achieving a Silver medal and Jason Zhang - awarded a gold medal for the second being slightly put off by the whole process. (Footnote: year running with a fantastic score of 58 / 75. He went on to score 100% in the full A-level, only the 2nd time we have ever had this happen). Year 13 students awarded silver medals: Katherine Voice, Emma Hay, Daniel Green, Ashley Coope, Jake So this background really shows the exceptional Gull, James Cook, Matthew Bennison, Abigail Seddon, performance by Jason this year in achieving a Top Gold Amundeep Singh Johal, Thomas Clarke and Timothy award in the physics Olympiad. This means his Ediss performance was in the top 50 nationally. Although we have been well aware of his exceptional abilities Catherine Wang - a year 12 student who was awarded a particularly mathematically this result was better than we silver medal and Kirk Black and Snow Du, also from had dared hope and really shows the potential of this Year 12 who were awarded Bronze medals. brilliant student.

Jason went on in the competition to the second round Biology where he did not make the final five who will represent Our Biology students did us proud in the Olympiad again the UK later in the year. However between the two he this year. did receive confirmation of acceptance onto the Natural Sciences course at Cambridge University so was not too Ten year 13 students took part in this National upset! competition run by the Society of Biology. They completed two one hour multiple choice papers taken We look forward to hearing of the progress of this online in college in January. Nationally only 34% of exceptional young man in the coming years. students achieve Gold, Silver or Bronze awards, and are awarded medals in the British Biology Olympiad (BBO) competition, which aims to stimulate students with an Chemistry interest in biology to expand and extend their talents by At the beginning of February, 114 of our Chemistry offering a wider syllabus than A-level. students took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s All ten of our students were successful and their Olympiad. This prestigious national competition provides achievements are as follows: an opportunity to stretch and challenge post-16 students studying chemistry. The extra tough two hour exam Silver Medals really goes way beyond the A level specification in Brandon Carr and James Cook testing chemical knowledge. The questions are based Bronze Medals on real world chemistry problems and often stimulate Matthew Bennison, Abigail Seddon, Emma Hay and much debate, raising awareness of what chemistry is all Puja Merwaha about. They provide a good opportunity to develop some Highly Commended of the skills required for study at university and beyond. Hattie Lowe Commended Karan Joshi, Amundeep Johal and Anya Billyeald.

Page | 43

James Brackett, Chemistry Teacher entered the Maldon Mud Race Sunday 26 April

The Maldon Mud Race is probably one of the most unusual events in Great Britain and it certainly attracts the attention of not only the local media but also receives national, even global coverage.

The ‘Race’ originated in 1973, with a dare being given by a local resident to the landlord of the ‘Queens Head’ public house, which stands on the Hythe Quay in Maldon, Essex, challenging him to serve a meal on the saltings of the Rivers Blackwater dressed in a dinner jacket. The challenge was duly accepted and carried out, resulting next year in a bar being opened on the saltings. About twenty people made a mad dash across the driver bed, drank a pint of beer and dashed back. This was the beginning of the Maldon Mud Race.

In subsequent years, so many people wish to take part in the event that the time taken to consume the beer caused a ‘logjam’ on the saltings, so that part of the event was discontinued and the race reverted back to a dash over the river bed and back again.

In 1994, on Boxing Day, the revived Mud Race took place at the new venue of The Promenade Park in Maldon and a field of 52 entrants took part (and survived) and about 5,000 coming to watch the event.

Page | 44

Geography By Chris Collins, Simon Holland and Eddie Adams

AS Geography Fieldtrip 15th to 21st March 2015 at Preston Montford Field Studies Centre, Shropshire All 132 AS Geography students spent 4 days at Preston Montford in Shropshire in two different trips over the week 15th to 21st March 2015. The trip is a vital part of the AS Geography course and prepares students fully for the Unit 2 Geographical Investigations Exam which followed in May. Students on the trip had a great time assessing the success of the food-based rebranding of Ludlow and also completing a flood risk assessment of Shrewsbury using GIS and mobile tablet-PCs. Students also complete a hands-on practical activity testing the flood impact of a range of surfaces and monitoring, recording and forecasting the weather during the trip. In the evening there is a programme of ‘compulsory fun’ social activities which students have really enjoyed taking part in! We also have a celebration event on the last night with prize giving and awards which is great. A great deal of Geographical learning has taken place and students felt well equipped to tackle the fieldwork questions unit 2 exam – they also they know their fellow geographers much better ready for the exciting A2 Geography course!

Geography@University Day and Reunion 24th June 2015 Following on from last year’s very successful event, we have again organised our afternoon event at college on 24th June. The event will feature 4 top local universities, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Derby and Loughborough who will be presenting on a wide range of topics. The idea is that students can rotate around the presentations and get a really good feel about university level Geography, and the many diverse opportunities it offers-and consequently why it is one of the most employable degree subjects at present. There will also be advice from Universities about how to complete UCAS applications which students are now working on. This will be followed by our informal Bilborough Geography Reunion, where we invite past students to come back to college to meet some of our current students and inspire/advise them about university life, apprenticeships and careers. It promises to be another great event!

Bilborough College Ski Trip 2015 to Bormio, Italy At February half term, the 8th college ski trip departed, this time to the stunning Dolomite resort of Bormio, Italy. The trip included 4 hours of expert ski lessons per day from the Italian ski school, a range of fun evening activities including ice skating, quizzes, and a visit to the lovely thermal spa, as well as plenty of opportunities to sample the tasty local cuisine. A great time was had by all and the students made a great deal of progress with their skiing – some students went from absolute beginner to parallel skiing in a week! We were also very lucky with the weather which made for some stunning views and helped make the trip so enjoyable for all. I have decided to run the trip on a biannual basis from now on to try and increase numbers, so the next trip is planned for February 2017.

Bilborough College Expedition to Iceland 2016 Students are working hard to fund-raise and get fit for the 5th College Expedition to Iceland in July 2016. The teams have made good progress with team building and raising funds in instalments for the trip including from grants and support from local organisations. The students are very excited about the trip itself and are looking forward to our next training weekend at the end of September in the Peak District when there will be a challenging hike and lots more team building and trip planning to be done! The trip will be re-opened to the new Year 12 students in September as we have a few places remaining in the teams at the moment. It promises to be another excellent experience for all involved! Page | 45

East Midlands Today Weather Reporting Several AS and A2 students took part in the Weather reporting session with Sara Blizzard from East Midlands today. Students had an opportunity to be a weather presenter and learned about how to forecast the weather. Student feedback shows that they clearly valued the session.

“I really enjoyed the session and it was really useful to see how geography is used in everyday life”

“At first it was daunting, however once I’d completed the weather report I found it highly rewarding and a lot of fun.

Geography Department’s New Arrival As an NQT at Bilborough, I’m seeing the department and the college for the first time. It has been a fantastic year, and a delight to be a part of the team with Chris and Simon! Having taught geography to all AS students and half of the A2 students in this year’s cohort, it’s been a steep learning curve. However, Chris and Simon, as well as all my other colleagues – all the way to Chris Bradford at the very top – have given me a massive leg-up to meet the challenges. The students have been wonderful, with huge amounts of enthusiasm and effort throughout the classes, especially on the field trip to Preston Montford. It’s been a lot to take in this year, but I’m already looking forward to what next year has in store! Eddie Adams.

An Unusual EPQ Project features in ‘School Matters’ and the Nottingham Evening Post By Pam Richings

I have been an EPQ supervisor for the past two years and have been really impressed by the work produced by some of our students. The variety of topics makes being an EPQ supervisor interesting (and sometimes a little challenging, as you may know nothing about a particular topic yourself!). This year, one project stood out as being particularly worthwhile for everyone involved and, with Nicola Allen’s help, it was featured in ‘School Matters’ and the Nottingham Evening Post.

Tom Lewis-Hood wanted to raise awareness of inclusive sport – which allows everyone to get involved - for his extended project. He chose to set up a sports club for able bodied and disabled children at a special school. He read books on inclusive sport and carried out research before setting up the sports club at Oak Field School and Sports College in Bilborough.

Tom recruited able bodied student volunteers from Bilborough College (Daniel Whittaker-Wallis, Kyra-Mae Leighton and Josh Lloyd) to take part in the club and together with students with a range of disabilities from Oak Field School they took part in sports including football, cricket, hockey and basketball for one hour every week for a month.

Tom said he was thrilled with how the sports club was received at Oak Field.

He said: “Initially I was just going to do one event where we would have stalls with different sports represented but after speaking to the head at Oak Field he suggested doing something that would have more of a lasting effect.

“That was really helpful and the head was really enthusiastic so we decided to run the sports club and the idea developed from there.

“We had lots of students taking part, some with learning difficulties and one who was in a wheelchair, there was a whole range of abilities.

Page | 46

“All of the students were enthusiastic about it and would be talking about it during the week to their teachers and saying how much they were looking forward to the next session. I’m really pleased that it went well and I want to say a massive thank you to Oak Field and the head teacher, it wouldn’t have been possible without their support.”

Pam Richings, extended project supervisor at Bilborough College, said Tom’s extended project was an unusual one.

She said: “Students have a choice; they can write 5,000 words on their research into a subject or they can produce a performance or something more practical. Tom’s project is unusual compared to the others I have seen and has helped him to learn a lot of new skills including organising, being aware of health and safety, time management and being able to adapt.

“It’s great that the students who took part got a lot out of it too, it’s been a winning idea all round and we are very proud of Tom who worked so hard on the project.”

David Stewart, head teacher at Oak Field School, said he was grateful to Tom for all of his hard work.

He said: “Tom was very keen to raise the profile of inclusive and disability sports in the local area and this after school club had a regular group of seven to nine students with disabilities. Tom and his fellow students organised a range of sporting activities for the young people including football, cricket, hockey and basketball.

“They enabled the Oak Field students to hone their skills and encouraged competitive play. Over the course of the four sessions it was pleasing to see the development of communication and social relationships between the two groups of students. There was a real sense of anticipation.

“It is always good to see our young people being given opportunities to be with mainstream peers. This has led to some of the Bilborough students doing further voluntary work in the school. I have been very impressed with their commitment and the sense of wanting to make a difference.”

113 students responded to the Ditch the Label annual bullying survey – a 25% increase on last year’s respondents!

The full results can be viewed by scanning the QR code with your smartphone.

Page | 47

Page | 48

IB Community CAS Projects By Maggie Burrows

The Year 12 IB students have continued to make their mark on the local community by volunteering in two very different activities.

HIDDEN TREASURES

During the past year a group of students have become actively engaged in the ‘Hidden Treasures Project’ at St Martin’s Church in Bilborough. The church has received a £750,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the church and generate community involvement. Students helped clean the church ready for its reopening after the restoration and Caitriona Large played her trumpet at the first service of the restored church.

Recently Rebekah Fellows, Corey Hamilton and Milena Carstens have been working with Hilary Wheat to produce a tablet tour for visitors to the church. St Martin’s is of great historical interest and students have edited hours of film to produce an interactive tour of the church and a film which will ‘go on tour’ around Nottinghamshire. The whole experience has been of great value to both the church and the students.

‘This project so far has made me realise that my favourite part of media production is probably the editing because I like to see the finished product. I am also quite good and fast at editing which proves that I should definitely consider it as a potential future career decision.’ (Rebekah Fellows)

‘It has been a great experience working on this footage, as I have learnt more about the history of the local area and developed and consolidated many valuable editing skills that I can use for my film coursework.’(Corey Hamilton)

SUSTRANS Another group of IB volunteers have been working with Ian Keetley from Sustrans in order to learn more about sustainable travel and promote it in college.

As well as learning about the role of the organisation students have also become trained volunteers and hope to take part in promotional events throughout Nottinghamshire. Within college they have organised travel surveys for students and staff in order to monitor travel patterns and encourage people to walk, cycle or use public transport as an alternative to cars. In May they organised a ‘Smoothie Bike’ event which raised awareness of the impact of cycling on personal health and the environment. Bilborough students were also able to make tasty smoothies which they made by cycling on a bike with a small blender on the back.

‘It was great fun and it was good to engage other students in conversation regarding the impact of cycling and also to raise awareness of the great work that Sustrans carries out.’ (Duke Tesorero)

These are only two examples of the amazing work the IB students are doing as part of their CAS programme.

As I am retiring this summer I would like to thank all students who have really made a difference to themselves and their local communities over the last six years. It has been a pleasure to work with them all.

Page | 49

Students inspired to learn about Computer Science and The whole University Life Experience

By Iqbal Khan

After eight months of planning, the day finally came when 23 Computing and ICT students went to experience life as Computer Scientists at Loughborough University.

The students were involved in a workshop where they learned how to create mobile phone applications and were able to actually run them on their android phones. Some of the best applications allowed the phone to display the rainbow colours when a button was clicked. Others were able to get their phone to speak out “stop shaking me” when it was shaken too much.

The afternoon session comprised of a workshop all geared towards writing good quality personal statements on UCAS applications. As well as the tour of the impressive Loughborough University campus, the students were able to find out about life as a university student by asking questions to current students.

“I gained lots of knowledge about uni today”, “It was pretty amazing and brilliant” and “I really want to go to Loughborough University” were some of the comments the students made about their day.

We would like to thank Loughborough University for hosting this event and looking forward to inspire more students next year.

Page | 50

Bilborough in the Community

February term has been a really busy one for the BTEC Sport and leadership academy students as they have been delivering PE lessons to children in 7 different primary schools.

Leadership Academy

The college leadership academy, made up of 21 students from a range of subjects and programmes (A-level, BTEC and IB), delivered 6 weeks of PE lessons in five local primary schools including; Brocklewood, Firbeck, Jubilee, Djanogly Academy and Portland primary school. The students worked with year 4 and year 5 classes delivering a range of activities to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Milena Carstens, leading a parachute session at Portland Primary said “Being a member of the academy has helped me so much with confidence and with issues I had with talking to groups of people!”

Aaron Bright, delivering a table tennis session at Jubilee Primary, said that he “really enjoyed the course, much more than I expected. It taught me a lot about organisation, working on your own initiative and communication. I feel more confident in general and think I have improved my knowledge of sports games”

Page | 51

On the 1st of April Bilborough College hosted the 5th annual Flames Festival. As a VIP guest, we welcomed back ex Bilborough College student and current England Table Tennis player Emma Vickers. It was great having Emma back and she spoke to the children about the how important sport has been in her life.

Daniel Parkin said that although he found the festival a bit stressful he learnt a lot in a short space of time and was really glad that joining the academy was an experience he didn’t forgo.

A special thanks goes to Taylor Brooks-Brown and Beth Davies who have been fantastic mentors to the leaders this year.

BTEC Sport in the Community

As part of the Sports Coaching Unit the BTEC Sport students have been going in to two local primary schools to gain some experience coaching primary school children. The students delivered four weeks of PE lessons at Waldsworth Primary School and Glenbrook Primary School to four year 4 classes. The students led sessions in a range of sports including basketball, athletics, dance and football.

Grace Fildes who ran a dance session said she “really enjoyed the experience of going into schools and it has helped improve her confidence when addressing large groups as well as her overall knowledge of games and sports.”

Page | 52

Sport

Page | 53

Representative Sport

National Championships:

It was another successful year for Bilborough College at the National Championships picking up one bronze and one gold medal.

Brandon Carr and Callum Buck won a bronze medal in the men’s badminton doubles competition.

James Hollise worn team gold in the men’s golf competition for a second year in a row.

Page | 54

Celebration of Sport:

Another successful year of sport concluded with the annual sports awards. This year trophies went to...

Katie Cresswell Best Girl 2015

Represented AOC England Netball team for the last two years.

Captain of the college Netball team.

Role Model and inspiration to her peers

Jack Heappey Best Boy 2015

Commitment to college football team

Volunteering for the college leadership academy for two years

Mentoring members of the leadership academy.

All round positive attitude towards sport and fantastic role model

Chloe Gaynor Ian Jack Award 2015

Captain of the East Midlands Team at AOC Sport

Captain of the college Basketball team

Role Model and inspiration to her peers.

Volunteered to table for numerous men’s basketball games

Recently selected for the U17 England women’s Basketball team – a fantastic achievement considering she has only been playing for 2 years

Page | 55