ASPIREASPIRE The official termly newsletter of Langley School SUMMER TERM 2016 ISSUE 12 TEL:0121 706 9771 EMAIL:[email protected] WEBSITE:langley.solihull.sch.uk Aspiring to be the best we can be: Headteacher Introduction HEAD’S LINES Dear Reader Welcome to this Summer 2016 edition of Aspire – Langley’s termly magazine showcasing the wide range of activities and achievements experienced by our young people. The summer term is, of course, a busy examinations period for our older students and, once again, they did Langley proud with some fine GCSE results. There were some simply outstanding, individual outcomes: Akalya achieved 10 A*s and an A; Benoit and Kitty achieved 6 A*s and 5 As each; Eva achieved 8 A*s and 3 As. There were lots of other individual success stories too and we saw many happy, smiling, young people in school towards the end of August, ready, willing and able to move on to the next stage of their lives We are very proud of the class of 2016 and look forward to welcoming them back in December as we celebrate their Langley careers at our annual Awards Evening. As well as working hard in class, the rest of the school community took advantage of a great number of events on offer, within as well as beyond the school gate, and I hope that you enjoy reading about them in this magazine. There were field trips to the Peak District and in-school productions of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’; there was our fine Summer Music Concert and an ‘interesting’ staff versus students netball match; our more -able Year 10s were invited to the University of Oxford for the day to sample life there and three of our younger students had their poems published as part of the Birmingham and Solihull Poetry Competition anthology; our Year 7s braved the hills and streams of Dovedale, while our drama, literacy and numeracy summer schools were very well attended and a great time was had by all. Our success in an ever-increasing number of sports continues to grow. By way of example, Langley’s Year 9 footballers enjoyed a tremendous run, culminating in them being crowned winners of the West Midlands County FA Cup and then reaching the final of the Trevor Gill Trophy, played at Villa Park. Not to be outdone, our girls’ athletics squad became South Solihull Schools Super 6 champions. So much of what we do here depends on the excellent behaviour and commitment of our young Langley ambassadors combined with the support they receive from their families and, of course, our highly dedicated staff. It really is a great pleasure to witness on a daily basis so many young people investing so much into their school life and gaining so much back in return. I hope that you enjoy the Summer 2016 Aspire. My best wishes to you. P. Talbot Headteacher 2 Aspiring to be the best we can be: Curriculum Enrichment YEAR 10 - KINGSWOOD YEAR 9 THE TEMPEST ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on…’ In July 50 Year 10 students and 5 members of staff spent a weekend at the Kingswood Centre in Overstrand, Norfolk investigating coastal erosion and management. We arrived on Friday and spent the afternoon examining the At the end of the Summer Term, Year 9 created a coastal defences at Overstrand. storm with their own version of Shakespeare’s ‘The On Saturday we undertook beach profiling and investigated longshore drift at Tempest’. Students had to apply to participate in this points along the Norfolk Coast and on Sunday we visited Cromer to study the two day Shakespearean extravaganza where they had impacts of tourism. We spent time at the centre using GIS software to present to develop a script; find and create costumes and our data and there was plenty of time for activities such a building bottle rockets, problem solving and the “Nightline”, a blindfold obstacle course team props as well as learn lines and rehearse roles for challenge! one of Shakespeare’s most loved plays. The group of This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to enhance their GCSE students worked tirelessly with members of the class work and gather extra information for their exam. English and Drama department to create their own, very special version of The Tempest. The whole of Year 9 then came together on a hot and stuffy Friday afternoon in the theatre to enjoy the play and support their peers who put on a tremendous performance. Despite the constraints of time, every performer and stage worker adopted their roles and learned their lines with true professionalism. It was a splendid afternoon which we all enjoyed and we will remember for a very long time. Well done performers, we are very proud of you. Mrs Thorpe and the English Faculty ‘An Inspector Calls’ to Langley In preparation for their Literature GCSE examination, Key Stage 4 students were offered the opportunity to see a live performance of J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'. Students were entertained by a one hour production of the play in the Dovehouse theatre and it was a fantastic opportunity to lift the text from the page and appreciate the Year 8 science trip to Natural History Museum script as a piece of drama. In July an eager group of Year 8s visited the Natural History Museum in London for the day. They had an amazing time looking at all of the exhibits, as well as wending their way to the centre of the earth. One of the highlights of the day was trying to start an earthquake. The students were an absolute pleasure to be with and represented the school well. 3 Aspiring to be the best we can be: Design Technology DT TEXTILES & GRAPHIC PRODUCTS Superb efforts from Year 7 in Graphic Products! Some excellent paper engineered occasion cards. Iona in Year 9 Harry Potter themed cushion Year 8 selfie block colour portraits Year 9 have been working well on Busy Year 7's in the workshop. some complex designed stencils! Fantastic key holder projects! Year 9 GP students turning their Amelia in Year 9 Pen Pots Amelia in Year 8 Unicorn fleece hat perspective drawings into CAD models YEAR 7 ALL THINGS BRITISH This year’s Year 7 Textiles students researched into the theme “All Things British” and produced a mood board as part of a homework project. They then used their mood boards to inspire ideas to design and make a drawstring bag. To construct the bag students tie dyed fabric for one side of the bag, and then decorated their bag using the sewing machine and other techniques like hand embroidery and heat transfer printing. 4 Aspiring to be the best we can be: Beyond the Classroom HARRY POTTER TRIP 2016 YEAR 7 STUDENTS AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY AT A SHAKESPEARE EXHIBITION AND WORKSHOP On a hot day in July at the end of term, 25 Literacy Ambassadors were rewarded for all of their hard work in promoting reading all year with a magical trip to the Warner Brothers' Harry Potter Studios in London. Students began their bewitching adventure with a tour of the Great Hall where they were able to get up close to the set and costumes from some of the main scenes and actors. Once past the Sorting Hat, they went on to explore props and sets from all of the fantastic films. After a ride on a broomstick; some wonderful 'wanding' and a trip on the Hogwarts Express, students enjoyed a relaxing lunch on Privet Drive with Butter Beer for refreshment. Excitingly, the Dursley's home was open exclusively over the summer so we were able to snoop into their living room and see the flying letters scene. A final trip down Diagon Alley led us to the last part of the attraction which is a surprise so we won't On May 27th, 2016 forty Year 7 students visited the British Library in spoil it for you here!... London and, through the exhibition, went on a journey through 400 Overall, a spellbinding visit for some very well deserving years of history. At the start of the exhibition students were treated to students. seeing exhibits from the first productions of Hamlet and The Tempest and a knowledgeable guide explained how Shakespeare’s plays have been transformed on stage by theatre directors for new generations of theatre-goers. Students were invited to imagine how audiences might have reacted to ground-breaking moments like the first stage appearance by a female actor in 1660 and the first British performance of Othello by a black actor in 1825. Students also saw the glamorous Vivien Leigh’s Lady Macbeth costume, the surprising circus prop from Peter Brook’s radical 1970s A Midsummer Night’s Dream , and the stunning detail of the award-winning costumes from Twelfth Night starring Mark Rylance, as performed at Shakespeare’s Globe. A wonderful day was enjoyed by all! DUKE OF EDINBURGH END OF YEAR AWARDS Well done to all the students that received awards this year. These are given to students for Service to the Community, Commitment to Learning and for Outstanding Effort during the For our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award we spent 2 days hiking in the Peak academic year. There were also certificates District. The walk was a lot of fun, despite the fog and rain. It was pretty tiring, for each year group for Sports Boy and Girl of but we all enjoyed ourselves while we were there and the scenery was the year and Inspiring Musicians.