NewsletterPrudhoe Community High School

Autumn 2014 Part II

Northumberland under 15 Girls Indoor Cricket winnerswith Danielle Hazell England player

Introduction from Mrs Reeman Headteacher

We do hope you enjoy reading our second newsletter of the academic year. We are, as ever, very busy with lots of exciting activities and events taking place. All our students are working exceptionally well this

term.

Year 9 have settled into high school life and routine very smoothly, Year 10 have made a positive start to their option subjects, Year 11 are busy on controlled assessments and getting ready for mock examinations. For Year 13 it is UCAS, exams, plenty of work and deciding what to do next , whilst Year 12 have hit the ground running with their AS studies. We have enjoyed meeting with parents at the various events we have run this term to date including Information Evenings and our Year 9 ‘Settling In Evening’. Any information distributed at those evenings can also be found on our website, just in case any parents/carers were unable to attend.

In addition, following our two day inspection, we are obviously delighted to no longer require the category of 'Special Measures.' A summary of the Ofsted report can be found on our website under the ‘letters’ section, if you have not yet been able to access it.

School Comms

We are constantly looking for ways to improve our links with you and to keep everyone up-to-date and well informed. As sending written information home is sometimes unreliable, we have decided to implement

School Comms, an electronic school communication system. This will enable you to receive all your information from school quickly and reliably. We can send letters by email to your inbox and short messages directly to your mobile phone in text message format, or if you have an Apple or Android mobile phone, by app message.If you haven’t already done so and would like to register for the service, please follow these simple steps:

• GotoyourAppStoreanddownloadthefreeApp“SchoolGateway”.• Oncedownloadedselectthe“NewUser”buttonandenteryouremailaddressandmobiletelephone number. (You must be the priority 1 contact for your child and these details must match your child’s school records).• Select”SendPIN”andaPINnumberwillbetextedtoyourmobilephone.• LoginwithyouremailaddressandPINandyouraccountwillbeactive.

Ifyouexperienceanydifficultiesregisteringinthiswayitmaymeaneitheryouremailaddressormobiledetailsneedtobeupdatedonyourchild’srecord.Pleasecontactschoolwiththecorrectdetails(asignaturewillberequiredtoverifythis).SchoolCommsisregisteredwiththeDataProtectionAct.Allinformationyouprovide will be kept private and will not be passed onto any other organisation. Your details will only be used forthepurposeofschoolbusiness.YouwillnotreceiveanySPAMormarketingmaterial.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcernspleasecontacttheschoolofficeon01661832486.

Year 10 Rugby

Year 10 students Matt and Sam have initiated a Rugby Club on Tuesdays after school, all year groups welcome. The sessions

are very fun and led by 'a very pro coach' called Hamish. He is very fun, committed and good at what he does.

Come down and you'll have the time have the time of your life!

Written by Matt Beattie and Sam Collins Year 10

LUNCH CARDS AT SCHOOL

Payingbychequeisthesafestwaytopayforschoollunches-Noneedtostandinaqueue,andifyouhavemore than one child in school, one cheque can be split between offspring. PLEASE make cheques payable

to C.M.S. Ltd. It would be extremely helpful if students restricted requests for cheques to be added to their accounttobreakfastserviceandmorningbreak.Theminimumchequeamountis£5.00.Lunchcardswillbecredited by the Kitchen Manager

Duke of Edinburgh Award

We are delighted that Oliver Brunskill and Robert Docherty have completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award.

This requires sustained commitment over a minimum period of a year and consists of four stages: physical, skill, volunteering and

expedition. It also requires good organisational skills to ensure that all the necessary “paperwork”hasbeensubmitted. Oliver and Robert took part in a variety of activitiestocompletethefirstthree sections, and also an extensive training programme, including a day walk and two additional camping trips, before completing the assessment expedition in very hot and demanding conditions in NorthNorthumberland.

Well done, and the best of luck as you start on your University courses.

Ingenius Theatre Company

PCHS welcomed back past student Amy Keirl in her capacity as Company Manager for Ingenius

Theatre Company. The group gave a performance of their touring production "Stepdaughters" which tells the story of women's changing role during WW1 and marks the centenary of this period in our history. Year 10 and Year 11 Drama pupils watched the performance and then enjoyed workshops led by the Ingenius Creative Director, exploring the themes of the play.

We also had the opportunity to see their travelling prop, a full-size replica ambulance. (This caused quite a stir in the car park!) It is great to see past pupils returning to give something back totheschoolcommunityandreflectsthegoodrelationships built up during Amy's time as a Student.

Musical Murder and Mayhem Coming To A School Hall Near You

InearlyNovember,Studio2wastheholdingpenfornervousperformerswaitingtostruttheirmusicalandacting stuff. Auditioning is never exactly a breeze, even for those seasoned pro’s who have been involved in school shows since they started high school. It takes real guts to stand in front of your teachers and sing acappella and or act your socks off; we recognise this and try to make the process as painless as possible, but let’s just acknowledge that even turning up to audition is to be applauded.

Prudhoe’sReallyYouthfulCompanyhasalongtraditionofmusicaltheatreexcellence,whetherwe’reinterpretingoldfavouriteslike‘You’reAGoodMan,CharlieBrown’,2013,orpremieringentirelynew,in-houseshowssuchasthisyear’s‘OutOfTheWoods’.In2015,we’llbedoingboth,resurrectingtheveryfirstshow that announced our departure from juke-box musicals – ‘Kind Hearts And Coronets’. Whether or not you’veseentheEalingcomedy,payPCHSavisitinmid-Marchandyou’llbeentertainedbythemurderousbutirrepressiblycharmingLouiswhobumpsoffaseriesofnear-relativestogethishandsonthetitleandthegirl,but can he hang on to them?

The show attracted the usual cross section of the school population and rehearsals are underway. It’s our favourite time of year and adding Year 9s and new performers to our existing family is one of the best parts. Even if you’ve been to one of our shows before, even if you’ve seen us do ‘Kind Hearts’ before, but particularly if you’re a new student or parent of a new student, come and see what we do. You know you want to….

BATTLEFIELDS TRIP 1ST WORLD WAR 100TH ANNIVERSARY1914 – 2014

HollieLeesandWillWestgarthwereabletovisittheFirstWorldWarbattlefields,inBelgiumandFrance,overa4dayperiodas

partoftheGovernment’s100thAnniversaryinitiative.HollieandWillwereabletovisitmuseums,battlefieldsandmanymemorialsas part of their tour.

In the Cemetery at Tyne Cot, which is the largest Commonwealth WarCemeteryintheworld,HollieandWillwereabletofindthenameofasoldierfromPrudhoe,R.H.Ridley,whodiedintheGreat

War. Hollie and Will laid a small poppy cross in remembrance nest to the panel where his name is to be found inscribed along with many other soldiers from his regiment, the NorthumberlandFusiliers.AtLangemarkacemeterydedicatedtoGermansoldierswhodiedintheconflictwasalso visited.

An emotional and evocative highlightofthetourwasavisittotheMeninGate,inYpres,fortheplayingofTheLastPostCeremonywhichhastakenplacehereeveryeveningforthelast89years-asequenceonlybrokenduringthe2ndWorld War.

Thestudentswereabletoseefirst-handthetrenchesandotherreconstructionsthatshowedthedifficultconditionsenduredbythesoldiers, from both sides, who fought in the 1st World War.

Another memorial visited was the massive Thiepval Memorial at the Somme, which was designed by Edwin Lutyens,ithasthenamesofover72,000soldiers,whohavenoknowngraves,onitspanels.

Year 11 Exploring the Maths of Nature

On the afternoon of 22 October a group of 29 Year 11 students attended a lecture

onMathematicsandStatisticsatNewcastleUniversity. There were around 200 students in total attending the lectures which were givenbyProfessorAnvarShukurovandDrLeeFawcett.Thelecturesexploredthewaysin which simple mathematical modelling can be used to estimate natural phenomena and how probability models can be used to predict extreme events in nature. One of the attending students commented as follows:

‘The Year 11 Maths trip to Newcastle University was a very educational trip as it gave us an opportunity to listen to university-style lectures without having to know overly complex mathematics. It also helped us understand how mathematics is used in the real world. Geography students found it interesting as it showed us how Hurricane Katrina had overcome the flood barrier with the sea surge created when the hurricane reached land. The puzzle cubes given to us in a makeshift ‘goodie bag’ provided quite

a challenge as at first some did not realise that the jigsaw was meant to make a cube and not a normal flat jigsaw and that the pieces could only fit together in one way. Overall I feel that this trip was educational and helped anyone who attended in many different ways.’

The students were also treated to some ‘street scientists’ who challenged them to solve physical puzzles during theintervals,withsomemoresuccessfulatfindingthesolutionsthanothers!

Year 10 Head for the Hills

Theintrepidyear10GeographystudentsrecentlysetofffortheCheviotHillstocompletethefieldworkcomponentoftheirGCSEControlled

Assessment. Spaced over four separate days each class had the opportunity to travel to various sites along the river Coquet which begins high in the hills of Northumberland.Thepurposeofthetripwas for students to study how the river changes throughout its upper and middle courses. Students were well equipped with wellies and spare clothes and were (generally) enthusiastic about taking on the elements, getting very soggy and even coming face to face with some of the local livestock. Measurements were taken on the river’s width, depth, speed andotherimportantcharacteristics.Nowonly the job of writing up the results awaitsour students!

Creative and Therapeutic Activities

The aim of the Health and Social Care Department is to prepare students to work with a diverse range

ofclientswithintheHealthandSocialCarefield,oncetheyleavePCHS.Inpursuitofthisaim,ourYear11students have been actively engaged in experiencing a range of creative and therapeutic activities since the beginning of term, as part of their study for Unit 12 – Creative and Therapeutic Activities. Students arerequiredtoanalysethebenefitsofeachactivityon physical, intellectual, emotional and social health and then justify potential client groups who stand tobenefitmostfromeachtypeofactivity,andwhatbetter way to achieve this than to try the activities out themselves! Tried and tested activities to date include:

•Paintingtomusic• Sensory room experiences •Creativitywithfood–‘PaintedToast’• Boards games, quizzes and puzzles• Salsa dancing• Yoga• Reading•Gardening•Patchworking•Pettherapy

Creative and therapeutic activities such as these are used widely throughout the fieldofHealthand Social Care in order to provide treatment for clients with specificneedsasa complementary approach to traditional medical treatment. Clients who might benefitfromsuchactivities include those experiencing emotional difficultiessuchas depression, anxietyorPost-TraumaticStressDisorderandthose with social difficultiessuchasAutismorSEBD. Creative and therapeutic activities can also beextremelybeneficialforclientswithphysicaldifficulties,suchashearingorsightimpairedclients,individuals who have suffered from stroke or clients with arthritis. As such, this Unit acts as sound preparation for the world of work and allows students to develop their experience in meeting the needs of a wide range of client groups.

Science Club

Year9ScienceClubwillbestartinginJanuary2015everyWednesdayLunchtimeinB1withMissEarl.Itwillbeonafirstcomefirstservebasis(first20throughthedoorforhealthandsafety).

Soifyoulikerockets,fire,explosionsandjustgoodfun,comeandgiveitago!Moreinformationtofollowinassembly after Christmas. Any sixth form students wishing to support this activity please come and see Miss Earl.

Auschwitz - Birkenau

I founditextremelydifficulttogettosleepthenightbefore our trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There was no way to truly prepare for what lay ahead. Two weeks prior to the trip Fintan Kealy and I attended an Orientation Seminar in preparation for what we wouldfaceonourvisittoPoland.Here,Holocaustsurvivor Eva Clarke shared her and her mother’s testimony with us. Hearing the story of an individual who experienced horrors was both shocking and inspirational. I woke up on the day of the trip at 3:30am, wondering what I'd really signed up for. The firstplacewevisitedoncewehadarrivedinPolandwas the Jewish town of Oswiecim. We learnt of the synagogue once situated there that had been burnt downbytheNazi's,andvisitedaJewishgraveyard,which showed us that life before the Holocaust was ordinary.

AUSCHWITZ

As we passed under the sign "Arbeit macht frei" ("work makes you free") we were faced with the tragic truth that 1.1 million Jews, Romas, homosexuals and political prisoners who trudged under that archway into Auschwitz not too long ago never walked back out again. There is no way of knowing how you will react toseeingpilesandpilesofhumanhair.Over7tonnesof it- only a miniscule percentage of how much was taken from these prisoners. We noticed that the hair was all sorts of different styles and colours. A young girl’s pigtail tied with a bow lay amongst it. These were real people, whose lives and identities were stripped from them.

BIRKENAU

Without time to allow what we had seen to sink in, we were back on the bus and on our way to Birkenau. Here, it is what you don't see that is so haunting. The firstthingyounoticeinBirkenauisthesizeofthesite.We stood at the selection platform, where people were selected to either work or die. We entered barracks

originallybuiltasstablesfor80horses,thathousedas many as 1000 prisoners. We visited gas chambers, standing where so many people before us had stood and taken their last breath. After all I'd seen that day, the thing I was most affected by was still to come. We walked through the doorstofindhundredsoffamilypicturesbroughttothe camp by prisoners. Studio images, baby pictures, wedding photographs, the list was endless and every one I looked at was easily comparable to pictures of my loved ones and me. After everything we'd seen during our visit to Auschwitz, this was the moment when I truly understood the normality of these people's lives before the Holocaust- they were just like us. They had aspirations and goals, they had hobbies and individual personality traits. These people were human beings whose families, communities, culture, religion and lives were brutally taken away from them. We ended the day with an indescribable ceremony from Rabbi Barry Marcus. As his performance of the memorial prayer, El malei Rachamim, echoed across Birkenau the numbness I had felt all day faded and left me feeling nothing but devastation.

I can't express enough the impact that this visit has had on me. There is no way to truly understand all that happened there, but visiting Auschwitz gets you one step closer to comprehending the atrocities that took place.

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned torepeatit."GeorgeSantayana

By Ailsa Bennett Year 12

Year 12 Business Studies

The OCR Technical Business course is a new qualificationinthesixthform.Aspartofstudents'

learning and assessment they have to relate their business knowledge to real businesses.

This is why we visited a local brewery. You may have heard of Wylam Brewery that is now located in Heddon on the Wall. Our visit included a tour of the small brewery discovering how the beer is made, where the raw materials come from as well as where and who drinks it. The owner was kind enough to tell us how well the business is doing and their ambitious plans for the future. Our Year 12 business students need other real business experiences like this. So if any parents have the opportunity to offer a work based trip and 'Question & Answer' session please contact Ken Fawcitt in the Business Department. Similarly if any parents have time toattendschoolfora'Question&Answer'sessionbasedonabusinessspecialismsuchasFINANCE,HUMANRESOURCEMANAGEMENTorMARKETING,pleasedogetintouchviatheMainOffice.

AlumniBen Orrock

ThroughoutmytimeatPCHS,IwasalwaysgivenallthesupportandguidancethatIneeded;whetheritbecareer advice, guidance on which A levels to take or just on how to best tackle a piece of homework, help

was always there.

IhavejustfinishedmydegreeinchemistryattheUniversityofBristolandamduetostartaPGCEatNewcastleUniversityinSeptember.Ihavealsobeenoffereda £25,000 bursary from the Royal Society of Chemistry to complete my teacher training.DuringmyapplicationformyPGCEwaswhenIreallysawtheschoolshineand came to admire the staff who work in it. I got in touch to see if I could organise some work experience after Christmas to help me with my application and the school were all too happy to help offering me 2 weeks observing and assisting in lessons. I was extremely grateful to the school for not only showing support to me throughout my years there but also nearly 3 years after leaving, they were still happy to help. As a more mature individual, standing on the other side of the classroom to myself 3 yearsago,IwasabletoseejusthowamazingthestaffatPCHSare.Theamountofeffort the teachers put in to each lesson, the dedication and commitment they have to their job and just how much they love teaching were all apparent to me. The staff were extremely welcoming to me and could not have done more to help. I was able to observe a whole range of scenarios and participate inamassiverangeofclasseswhichIwasabletouseininterviewsformyPGCEandmyscholarshipandIbelieve they gave me the upper hand over other candidates and therefore helped secure my place on both. I am extremelygratefultoPCHSforalltheyhavedoneformeandbelievetheywillcontinuetoencourageandinspirestudents for years to come.

DAVID BURNETT

TELEVISION BROADCASTING

I havebeenlivinginLondonfor12years.Forthepast8years,Ihavebeenworkingintelevisionbroadcastingatcompaniesincluding;SonyPictures,TheHistory Channel, MTV & ITV. I have the fun and creative job of selecting the programmeandfilmselectionsforspecificchannelsinterritoriesacrosstheworld.LastyearIdecidedtotakeayearoffworkandspent2013travellingSEAsia,China&SouthAfrica–somethingIhavewantedtodosincewehadatalkon‘GapYears’atPrudhoeHigh,eventhoughIdidn’tmanagetobuildamudhut!

Idon’tthinkyourealisehowmuchofaninfluenceschoolhasonwhoyouaspireto be as an adult until you’ve left it. From the small things like meeting deadlines andbeingpunctual,totheinfluencetheteachersyoulikedhadonyouandthesupport and advice which is so readily available!

PATRICK TOMLIN

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF READING

I leftPCHSin1999.Ispentatotalofeightyearsinhighereducation:IdidaBAatNottingham,anMAatUCL,andaDPhilatBalliolCollege,Oxford(aDPhiliswhateveryoneelsecallsaPhD,butOxfordhastobedifferent!)ForatimeIwantedtobeajournalist,andIusedtowriteacolumnforTheGuardian.ButatuniversityIfellinlovewithpoliticalphilosophy.IamnowanAssociateProfessorinPoliticalPhilosophyat the University of Reading, and an associate member of the Centre for the Study of Social Justice – a research centre at the University of Oxford.

Politicalphilosophyasksthebroadquestion:howshouldwelivetogetherinsociety?It asks what rules, principles, and institutions should structure our common life. My job mainly involves two things: teaching political philosophy, and doing political philosophy (this basically involves thinking very hard, arguingwithpeoplewhoareclevererthanme,andwritingarticlesandbooks).PCHSpreparedmewellforthis career, as some of the main skills required are being able to think creatively, and for oneself, and to write clearly.MywritingwassomethingIconsciouslyworkedonatPCHS,withtheencouragementofmyteachers.Moreimportantly,IwasalwaysencouragedtothinkformyselfatPCHS,andmyteachersinstilledinmethewillingness and desire to challenge received wisdom, to question what we are told, to follow the argument where it goes. I now try to instil these same virtues in my own students.

Congratulations to Jaycee Shotton who came second in the Prudhoe

Miners Junior Race

Champion Cadet 2014

When I was informed I had been selected to attend theChampionCadetcompetitionfor2014,Iwas

enthralled by an overwhelming feeling of achievement and privilege. After all, I had been chosen to represent my county and go head to head with the twenty best master cadets in the United Kingdom. The title of Champion Cadet is the most distinguished award a cadet can achieve, and when four of us (myself, Fraser Hills, Josh Truman and Catherine Phillips)fromthesamecountyhadbeenchosentogoback to Frimley after our Master Cadet courses, we were all delighted. As we are all very good friends, we decided to train together before the competition but when we got down to Frimley it was every man for himself. Unfortunately, Catherine was not able to attend. However, just getting selected to compete in this competition is an achievement in itself.

UponarrivingatFrimleyPark,thethreeofusknewroughly what to expect. We had the advantage of havingpreviousChampionCadetcompetitorsLiamArnotandLiamO’Kellywhokindlygaveusacoupleofuseful tips on the competition.Throughout the weekend at Frimley each cadet is assessed on a variety of aspects, such as; leadership tasks, weapons handling, marksmanship, orienteering,firstaid,footdrillanddrillingasquad,a panel interview as well as a written test on the ACF ArmyProficiencyCertificateSyllabus.Ontopofallofthese main events, the directing staff also

lookforsignsofselfdiscipline,leadership,selflesscommitment, teamwork and personal example. However, all of these qualities are developed throughout every army cadet’s career.In everything that I did during that weekend, I gave all of my efforts and pushed myself to the limit as did everyone else who attended in a battle for the most supreme accolade in the ACF.I know for certain that if it had not been for the adult instructors back in my county, I know that I would never have been able to achieve such a thing. I am very gracious for all the training and knowledge that has been passed on to me and I would like to give all theadultinstructorsinNorthumbriaACFahugethankyou.

By James Loughhead

Prudhoe Community High School, Moor Road, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 5LJTel: 01661 832486 Fax:01661 832859

E-mail:Admin@prudhoe.northumberland.sch.uk Web:www.pchs.org.uk

As part of the unit 1 coursework the Year 12 Applied Scientists visited the National Blood

Service in Newcastle

The students found it an interesting experience to see how science works in a real organisation.

They had a very detailed tour during which they gathered a lot of information to use in their coursework.