THE T: 01702 475443 F: 01702 470495 Westcliff Diary E: [email protected] W: www.whsb.essex.sch.uk September 2014 No.73 WHSB finishes 3rd in Track and Field Cup National Finals In Athletics, the School enjoyed another outstanding season, once again qualifying for the National Finals of the English Schools’ Track and Field Cup Finals. The students performed exceptionally well in the Borough Athletics Championship, breaking a number of long standing School Athletics records. Our Junior and Intermediate Athletics teams performed well in the opening round of the English Schools’ Athletics Track and exceptionally well in the track events, achieving a total of eleven Field Cup, and progressed to the East Anglia Regional finals. The medals. Gold medals were awarded to Micah Tsekeri (100m), Intermediate team achieved 452 points at the Regional final, and Oliver George (200m), Oliver Johnson (300m), George Haye the Junior team gave a superb performance, scoring 513 points (800m) and Kayode Omotoso (80m Hurdles). In Year 7, Tamalore to finish in second place in the East Anglia Regional Finals, and Mustafa won a gold medal in the 100m, and David Olusina progressing to the National Finals. The National Finals were held achieved first place in the Shot Putt event. In Year 9, Ishmail at Bedford International Stadium on the 5 July 2014. Amoeteng won the 200m, whilst our relay team (Matthew Otoo, Toni Abatan, Ishmail Ameoteng and Andrew Gilbertson) were also Our team attended the National Finals and, despite the wet awarded a gold medal. In Year 10, Aaron Mensah-Afoakwah won conditions, gave some outstanding performances in the track an impressive triple gold medal, having gained first place in the events, including a School record breaking time of 25.9 seconds Triple Jump, 100m Hurdles and Relay. Amecca Abazie won the in the 200m run from Oliver George, and an excellent 2.18 200m event, and both Amecca and Aaron Mensah-Afoakwah minutes 800m run from George Haye. Equally strong were members of the Year 10 relay team alongside Sam Howlett performances from Rotimi Osunsami, Kayode Omotoso and and John Olusina. The relay team achieved a top place and broke Oliver Johnson ensured our team was in 5th place after the our School record with a time of 47.2 seconds. morning’s events. In the later field events, excellent performances from Tom Maynard and Oliver George in the Hammer, Oliver The performance of Johnson and David Olusina in the Shot Putt and Sylan McGee in WHSB pupils in the the High Jump ensured the team were in a strong position School Athletics has indeed as the final events took place. A superb Long Jump been outstanding, (5.54m) from Micah Tsekeri ensured success in the competition and a number of and an excellent performance in the Relay added to our team’s records previously outstanding success. held have been broken. Tamalore Overall, our Junior team achieved an impressive 518 points Mustafa broke the giving WHSB 3rd place and its best ever performance in the record in the Year 7 history of the School in this competition. We are already looking 100m, achieving a forward to the competition next year with high aspirations. time of 12.6 seconds, whilst At the Southend Borough Athletics Championships the School Micah Tsekeri achieved second place. Our Year 8 team performed broke the record in the Year 8 100m, with his time of 11.9 seconds. Oliver Johnson matched the School’s record time of 39.8 seconds in the 300m, and Aaron Mensah-Afoakwah (Year 10) achieved the fastest time in the School’s history for the 100m Hurdles event, with his time of 14.5 seconds. WHSB is also proud that eleven pupils from WHSB represented the Southend Borough in the Essex Schools’ Championship on Saturday 7 June 2014. An outstanding performance from David Olusina in Year 7 ensured he achieved second place in the Shot Putt event with a distance of 10.13m. David has subsequently thrown a distance of 10.62m to further break the previous School record of 9.66m. We congratulate all our students on their outstanding achievements in these events. 1 EADMASTER FROM THE DESK OF contractors will hand back five Team, and she and Mr Partridge will be laboratories to the School, and the working closely together on matters remainder of the Science laboratories related to the management of resources will be returned in November. The new within the School. Sixth Form building is also on schedule I thank all members of the Senior Team and due to be completed in March for their continued support in relation to 2015. the leadership of the School and look The School and its pupils derive great forward to working with our new benefit from our wider community and members of the team. we are particularly grateful to the ongoing support of the Parents’ Public Examination Association and the Old Westcliffians’ Welcome back Association (OWA). Results 2014 It gives me great pleasure to welcome I look forward to welcoming pupils and This year Westcliff High School for Boys back all pupils and staff for the new parents to the many School events has enjoyed its best ever A Level results. academic year. Once again, our planned for this academic year. 17% of our entries returned the top grade Westcliff Diary demonstrates the of A*, whilst 48% of all entries were graded breadth of our corporate life and the Headmaster A* or A. Many students achieved notable wide range of opportunities available to success including nineteen students pupils. Last year, our pupils enjoyed Changes to who achieved two or more A* grades, with tremendous success across a range of three of these students achieving four extra-curricular fields, thanks to support Leadership and A* grades whilst a further six students and dedication of our staff and senior Management achieved three A* grades. In all, fifty-six students who organize and oversee our students achieved at least one A* grade, enrichment activities. I am particularly Structure which is over a third of the entire year delighted to see the developments I have made a number of changes to group. Our overall pass rate was 100%. within our thriving House programme. the School’s Leadership structure for The majority of students have achieved the coming academic year in order to or exceeded their University offers, The last edition of the Westcliff Diary reflect the key areas for development at including nine students who have launched the School’s Learner Profile WHSB. Mr Wilkinson will be moving secured a place at the Universities of and this year we look forward to from his current post as Director of Oxford and Cambridge. At AS Level, our embedding this into teaching and Sixth Form to take up a new post as students also achieved sound results, learning across the School. We shall Director of Studies. The increased with 40% of their examinations achieving continue to aim to raise aspiration and demands placed on schools as a result the top grade. At GCSE, the proportion set high standards, encouraging and of national developments in relation to of A*/A grades was 72% with 35% of our supporting our pupils to unlock their the Curriculum, call for a high degree of GCSE entries being graded A*. We have potential and realize their ambitions. expertise and we are pleased that Mr many pupils who have performed at an As many will be aware, there are Wilkinson will be contributing to School exceptionally high level, including 99 significant national changes planned for leadership in this area. We are pupils who achieved 8 or more A*-A A Level and GCSE courses commencing delighted to welcome our new Director grades and 41 pupils who achieved in September 2015 and the School has of Sixth Form, Dr Machacek, who joins 12A*-A grades. We congratulate all our begun to formulate its response to us from the Royal Grammar School students and give them our best wishes these developments. We shall be High Wycombe. Dr Machacek will also for the future. speaking to parents and pupils be contributing to the teaching in the regarding these matters which we shall Physics Department. Staff Changes for also cover in future editions of the We are pleased to welcome Ms Rankin, the Autumn Term Westcliff Diary. who joins us from Chelmsford County I would like to take this opportunity to In recent years there have been High School for Girls School. Ms update our School community with significant changes to how schools are Rankin is an experienced and details of the staff changes for the funded. These changes, and the difficult accomplished Technology teacher and Autumn Term 2014, and to offer our economic climate, have created faculty leader. We are delighted to sincere thanks to those staff who are additional challenges for the School, welcome Ms Rankin to our Senior Team leaving us to pursue new opportunities. however, we continue to ensure prudent as the Director of Lower School use of the resources available to us. We Studies. Mr Grainger, Miss Rees, Miss Elliot, and Mr Jaconelli have given splendid remain in a sound financial position but We are also adding additional capacity service to the school in their roles as we cannot be complacent regarding to our support staff team and I am Teaching Assistants. We wish them well these matters. We hope that further pleased to welcome Mr Partridge (Old as they take up places in Higher funding reform will ensure a fair and Westcliffian) who joins us from the NHS. Education in September.