Nailsea School NEWSLETTER … · Nailsea School NEWSLETTER May 2016 | Term 5 Ten Pieces at olston Hall Music students from Nailsea School attended the Ten Pieces concert at the olston

Nailsea School

NEWSLETTER May 2016 | Term 5

A S P I R E | B E L I E V E | S U C C E E D N a i l s e a S c h o o l M i z z y m e a d Ro a d N a i l s e a B S 4 8 2 H N 01275 852251 | nailseaschool.com | [email protected]

A Message from the Head

Hello again and welcome to another newsletter filled with great articles about the students of Nailsea

School.

As we ease in to May and can hopefully start to enjoy the longer and warmer days, attention inevitably

turns to exams. As adults, we can all remember how difficult this period is, which is why we try to run as

many lunch time, after school and holiday sessions as possible; allowing students to come along and

spend extra time preparing. This year the attendance by students to extra sessions has been very impressive and hopefully

will ensure good results in August.

It is never too early though to get into the habit of revising and studying hard. Realistically all students should be regularly

spending time recapping on things they have learnt in school. Research suggests that if you revisit a piece of learning

regularly you are much more likely to hard wire the information to the brain. We all know that reading something once and

then not looking at it again until months later only results in relearning not revising. This year we are therefore going to run

end of year exams in each subject for each year group to emphasise just how important studying is and to also give us as

teachers and you as parents an idea of how your child has performed when being tested on the topics covered during the

year. With terminal exams being the only method of summative assessment at all exam levels from now on, it is crucial that

we start the practice of study and revision now.

Finally, good luck to all Year 11 and 13 students particularly in the final exams this summer.

Maths Competitions By Mrs Plaw

Several students from Years 8, 9 and 10 represented the school in

national Maths competitions last term.

On March 18th Hannah Nicoll (Y9), Marta Llobet (Y9), Robbie

Altham (Y8) and Rosanna Wood (Y8) competed in the regional

final of the UKMT Team Maths Challenge.

Rosanna said: “I found the day very exciting and interesting as you

got to think about Maths in a different way. My favourite part was

the relay challenge because it was hard trying to do them really

quickly but accurately and then, once you got it right you had to

sprint across the hall to give the next question to the other pair.

You also got to work with people that you might not normally

work with. Overall the day was lots of fun and a great way of

learning”.

The following week it

was the turn of Year 10

who entered the FMSP

Maths Feast

Competition. Emily

Royce, Megyn Hawker,

Ella Driscoll and

Jasmine Pearson

formed one team, and Thomas Flaherty, Simon Howe, Joe Brown

and Alberto Barcena made up another. In a series of rounds they

worked brilliantly in teams and really held their own in a

competitive field. Both teams really enjoyed the experience and

scored the same total number of points overall. Many thanks to

Georgina Williams, one of our top Y12 mathematicians, who

accompanied the trip and helped out on the day.


Nailsea School


BBC Ten Pieces at Colston Hall

Music students from Nailsea School attended the BBC Ten

Pieces concert at the Colston Hall on Thursday 21st April. It

was an amazing event hearing the fantastic musicians from

the BBC Concert Orchestra.

One of the highlights was that our very own Nailsea School

Orchestra played in the foyer of the Colston Hall as everyone

arrived at the building. Nailsea School was the only school to

play and our students did so well, I was incredibly proud of

them.

Our orchestra played: Habernara by Bizet, Horn Concerto by

Mozart and The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg.

Student Katherine Dumbell got a mention in the BBC

Orchestra Concert as the announcer said “Congratulations”

to the young lady who played the solo horn part with the

School Orchestra in the foyer!

Well done Katherine and all the students who played in the

orchestra. If you want to know more about the BBC Ten

Pieces have a look at their website.

Sports Relief

Students and staff took part in a mega-marathon running

event for this year’s Sport Relief. Those taking part ran

around the school track, contributing to the epic distance

run.

Thanks to Mr Deacon who ran alongside some students

egging them on for support and Chloe Trickey in Yr. 10

deserves a special mention for completing 7 laps.

The total distance covered by students in the school was in

excess of 2,000 miles which would be the equivalent of

running from Nailsea to Africa!

The event raised over £1300 for the Sports Relief cause.

Concerto Winner!

Ann Dumbell, our Head Girl, won the Concerto competition

for the North Somerset Music Service. We are so proud of

her! Huge well done Ann!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3l2p7df6Yhg8dRp20Hp85VG/ten-pieces-secondary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3l2p7df6Yhg8dRp20Hp85VG/ten-pieces-secondary

Escape Game

Bowling

Cinema Tickets

Disc Golf

Reflexology

Noah’s Ark

Joint Ski Trip

By Mr Mawford Nailsea and Clevedon Schools held a joint ski trip during the

first week of the Easter holidays.

All students really enjoyed

themselves and were a credit to

their schools. Students made

excellent progress, starting at the

beginner slopes early in the week

and taking on the challenge of

the most difficult runs and even

jumping off ramps in the ski park,

by the end of it . The trip was

fantastic and one we are looking

to run again next year.

Student’s View

The trip was fun, enjoyable and I would definitely go on it

again. My favourite part of the trip was the skiing on the

harder slopes and learning how to perfect turns and racing

down slopes.

My favourite evening activity was going out for pizza. I also

liked meeting all the people from Clevedon School and

sharing the experience with newly made friends. Finally I

liked going into the capital and looking around all the shops.

Elin Beaver

When on the skiing trip I enjoyed meeting all of the people

that went from Clevedon and I made some new friends. I

obviously enjoyed the skiing part of the trip where we were

allowed to go freely down the hills and the harder slopes, I

found all of the week fun.

My favourite evening activity was eating at the pizza place

and going to the capital looking around all of the shops. I

would definitely hope to go skiing again soon as this trip was

so good.

Rebecca Lacey


Nailsea School


Golf Championship

Well done to Isaac Feltham and

Ben Tooth who competed in

the South West of England

Schools Golf Championship and

were placed in the top 30.

Congratulations!

Summer Fun Prize Draw Nailsea School PTA are raising funds for

the school. Tickets £1—drawn on 18.07.16

1st Prize—£100 Cash

2nd Prize—BBQ Hamper

3rd—£25 Voucher for Gilly’s on the Hill

Plus lots more great prizes for all the

family.

A’ Level Recital March

2016

By Mrs Perkins

Once again the A level Recital was a

wonderful expression of the musical

talent here at Nailsea School. The

Flute Trio; Ann Dumbell, Laura

Packham & Alice Vaughan-Williams

played with expertise and drew us into

their beautiful performance of Haru no

Umi. Martha Jones sang Gershwin and

Schonberg; this provided a delightful

contrast to the instrumental playing. Joshua Hayler had us spell bound with his rendition of Clair de Lune and showed

technical prowess with Allegro by Mozart. Alice Vaughan-Williams played with tremendous skill and expression that

captivated the audience. Ann Dumbell played beautifully entertaining us with the wonderful Concerto by Devienne. Anna

Richardson and Jake Richardson ended a lovely evening with their musical, fresh rendition of Lianna Havizs ‘Gone’.

I count it a privilege to be part of Nailsea School and play a small part in encouraging these gifted musicians.


Nailsea School


Year 10 Maths Mentors

By Mrs Plaw This term has seen the launch of a

mentoring scheme whereby 36 of our

fantastic mathematicians in Year 10

are assisting Year 7 students with

their Maths. The Year 7 students are

collected by their Maths Buddies

once a week during tutor time and

they work together on specific areas

of Maths that their Maths teachers

have identified as requiring

additional explanation and practice.

In advance of the scheme the Year 10

students received safeguarding

training from Mr Copleston and I also

talked them through the “Mastery” curriculum that Year 7

follow which has a strong emphasis on number work and

problem solving. The older students have had to brush up on

their own formal methods for multiplication and division so

are getting more out of the project than they expected!

I have been so proud of the mature way that the Year 10

students have taken to their new roles. They have been

brilliant at putting the younger students at ease and are

taking the progress of their buddies really seriously. The Year

7 students are really appreciating the extra help and the

response from parents at a recent Parents’ Evening was

overwhelmingly positive. Watching the students working

together really is a superb example of the community spirit

that makes Nailsea School special.


Nailsea School


Pour My Bluff

Nailsea school PTA’s

latest event was the

hugely successful wine

tasting evening “Pour

my Bluff”. Fifty

competitors listened

to the 3 wine

“experts” giving their

views on the wines

being tasted and then

used their own

knowledge/

judgement/guesswork

to determine what the

wine really was. After

a close competition

and nail-biting tie break, Karen Farrell was the overall

winner.

Huge thanks to Ms Hitchings, Mr Copleston and Mrs

Shoesmith for being our highly entertaining “experts” and

to Josh Hayler for his amazing piano playing at the start and

during the interval.

Final reckoning has yet to be done but we have raised in the

region of £250 which will be spent on projects nominated

by both staff and students at the school.

The Humanities House Challenge

A Friday lunchtime House Challenge was led by People and

Beliefs staff who set up an Easter egg contest with a

difference. Students were provided with a mystery box of

resources and challenged to decorate their egg with a

historical or geographical theme. Working in teams

students came up with a number of creative ideas from

Abraham Lincoln to a volcano. The winning duo with their

Winston Churchill egg were Ethan Kabot and Louis

Rumbelow and along with the other two members of the

Griffin team Josh Matthews and Michael Vickers they won

valuable house points for Griffin House.

Sixth Form -Application Advice

Year 12 students have been busy starting to plan for

university applications. All year 12s have been to both UWE

and Bristol University to research what courses are

available and to receive guidance on how to make a strong

application. As well as this, students who think they may

want to apply to Oxford or Cambridge universities have

been to an additional conference, and we have been visited

by 2 former Nailsea students who are now at Oxford (Alice

Packham studying medicine, and Annabel Hancock studying

History) who talked through what is different about

Oxbridge, and gave advice on how to apply.

Thanks to Alice and Annabel for giving up their time.

Summer Concert

This years Summer Concert will be held on Tuesday 5th

July at 7pm. For further details please contact Mrs Perkins

[email protected]


Nailsea School


Religious Roller Coaster

7E have been learning about the changes in religion that took place under the successive Tudor monarchs in their History lessons with Ms Heal.

You wouldn’t have known if you were coming or going in 16th century England with the changes each King or Queen made!

To consolidate their understanding of this, the group were asked to produce a 3D model showing these changes in the form of a roller coaster. The students could choose any method they wanted to show these changes.

The group produced some fantastic work and here are photos of 3 students’ efforts.

Ms Heal said ‘I am constantly amazed by the talents of our students when given creative, open ended tasks, such as these. Some of the models could be showcased in a museum. Super work’

Scavenger Hunt Rewards Trip

Students at

Nailsea

School who

were

nominated

by their

tutors and

Heads of

House for

good

behaviour and progress were treated to a Scavenger Hunt

rewards trip based around Easter. This was held at

Nowhere Wood and involved taking pictures of various bits

of nature. Over 60 students attended the trip during school

time and students were also rewarded with some Easter

egg prizes kindly donated by Lidl (Worle branch) by team

manager, local resident and parent Mr Vick.

Bikeability

Bikeability provided on road and off road cycle training to

Nailsea School pupils offering them practical skills and an

understanding of how to cycle on today’s roads.

The group headed out of Nailsea School on their bikes for

the training which is government-recognised, as part of our

Healthy Schools initiative.

Twenty Eight students were involved in the training varying

in age from year 7 to Year 9 which encouraged students to

lead a healthy and active lifestyle whilst remaining safe.

Aspire Programme

Last term the ‘Aspire’ programme was launched with the

Nailsea students identified as More Able and Talented. As

well as lots of opportunities within lessons for these

students to really stretch and challenge themselves there is

a termly challenge set that these students can submit

entries for. Last term the focus was on an animal

behaviours, extending some work that students may have

touched upon in Science lessons. Ben Clasper (8B) really

stood out as having taken real time and effort to find out the

reasons for these behaviours. Well done, Ben!

An extract of Ben’s research is below:

Q: Why do bats hang upside down when at

rest?

A: Bats need to escape quickly if a predator

were to attack. So, if they hang upside-down,

they are already in the position to drop and

open their wings to fly. Also, it is to hide from

predators. Finally, they do it because they can’t produce

enough lift from the ground, so they hang from trees so

they can pick up speed from falling.

Q: Why do hedgehogs ‘self-anoint’, that is,

produce large quantities of frothy saliva,

which they spread over their spines?

A: Hedgehogs may do this at a very early age – when their eyes are still closed. They chew on an object and use it to cover themselves

with their own saliva. When hedgehogs do this, it is called self-anointing. The reason they do this is still unclear but there have been many theories. People believe that it is to cover their scent from their predators. Some also believe that hedgehogs use it as a perfume and use it to attract the females. Finally, people say that it is used for protection from toxins and other poisons.


Nailsea School


Maths Inspiration - in Bath

Last term we travelled to Bath for Maths Inspiration 2016.

We were given a talk on ‘Randomness’ by Hannah Fry, one

on ‘Pi, Pizza and the Electric Guitar’ by David Acheson and

finally a talk on ‘Codes, Chords and Combinations’ by Ben

Sparks. This was all hosted by Numberphile’s very own Matt

Parker (Numberphile is a Maths-themed YouTube channel).

All the speakers were incredibly enthusiastic about their

fields and definitely spread their love of the subject to the

rest of us.

My personal favourite was the talk on the Maths behind

music and standing waves. However, we also looked at

topics not conventionally covered in school, such as number

theory and cryptography. It was nice to see Maths as an art

form, not just as a tool that can be used in our everyday

lives. There was plenty of musical entertainment from the

speakers, as well as a tower of pizza boxes used to

represent infinite series!

The event was a huge success and I really do hope that it

runs again next year. A big thank you to the Maths

department and all who helped out.

By Charlie

Examinations

Information regarding this year’s exams has been updated

and is available on our website. It can be found by clicking

the drop down box ‘Parents’ and then the ‘Examinations’

tab on the drop down box. ‘Key Documents’ can be found

on the right hand side of the page.

There you find important information such as what to do if

your child is ill or late, the rules regarding what equipment

is allowed during exams and other important details.

Nailsea School

NEWSLETTER

May 2016 | Term 5


The Berlin Trip 2016 Ellie Marshall Year 12.

12 History and

German students

departed from Bristol

airport, sporting

coordinated British

Racing Green hoodies

- with sights set on

the destination of

Berlin. Despite

having tackled a full

school day just hours

prior to the flight,

our energy levels

were high. After

travelling a mere

803.3 miles we

landed (surprisingly

smoothly) onto German soil.

The first day of the trip was undoubtedly the most

emotionally moving. We awoke early and took the “Zug” to

the Berlin suburb Sachenhausen, where we faced the

remnants of the Nazi Concentration camp which homed

political prisoners from 1936-45. The camp was full of

personal stories and belongings which truly brought the

reality to light. Jake Richardson said “Despite the experience

being harrowing, I’m unbelievable grateful to have seen

this.” To conclude the day, we went out for a delicious meal

followed by 10 pin bowling.

With one incredible experience behind us, the whole group

were excited for the following day. We visited the Jewish

museum which told the story of the Jewish population in

Germany from the medieval era through to the trials

regarding Auschwitz. By far the most breathtaking aspect of

this museum were the specially designed voids which

represents the absence of Jews from German society. The

memory void contained 10,000 metal faces covering the

floor; they are dedicated to all the innocent victims of war

and violence. During the afternoon we were taken on a tour

of the Wansee Villa, the building in which “The Final

Solution” was established by some of the leading German

Nazis. The tour was rich with information, especially zoning

in on the root of anti-Semitic attitudes. During the evening

we visited the famous Reichstag, renowned for its clear

dome representative of the transparency of the German

democracy.

Excitement was prominent on the final day. Awaking to the

sight of settled, heavy snow, was icing on the cake for an

already memorable trip. Wrapped up and prepared for the

frost, we headed towards one of Berlin’s most iconic

landmarks, The Brandenburg Gate. From here, we set out on

our walking tour of the Berlin Wall which took us through the

centre of Berlin,

showing the divide

between left and

right. This

significant ex-

landmark was

highly influential in

German life during

the Cold War. We

finished the trip at

the DDR museum

which contained

donated belongings

from the East

German society.

When leaving the

museum we were

caught in a heavy

flurry of snow. We naturally took shelter in an amazing local

waffle and pancake house finishing our trip, with quite

literally, a cherry on top.

Nailsea School

NEWSLETTER

May 2016 | Term 5


Headteacher visit to Army Cadets By Mr Hellier

Nailsea School Headteacher, Mr Wade, paid a visit to a

recent training weekend being held by the local Army Cadets

at their camp on the Mendip Hills. A number of Nailsea

School students are members of the Nailsea Platoon of

Somerset Army Cadets. Part of their training syllabus

involves attending camps with young people from other

cadet groups from around the area.

Mr Wade was able to see the cadets taking part in various

activities and lessons. The cadets were able to talk him

through their experiences and what they enjoyed doing

whilst at cadets. Students from other schools seemed quite

envious that Nailsea’s Headteacher was visiting his students.

As well as Army Cadets Nailsea School has students who are

members of the Sea Cadets, Royal Marine Cadets, Air

Cadets, Police Cadets and St. John’s Ambulance Cadets. All of

these organisations, together with others such as Scouts and

Guides, offer fantastic opportunities for young people. Mr

Wade, a Sea Cadet himself in his younger years, recognises

the importance of such organisations.

‘I have always been a keen advocate of youth organisations

as they offer children the opportunity to get involved in so

many different activities, as well as help them to develop

independence, self-discipline, communications skills and the

benefits of team work.’ Enthused Mr Wade ‘Whether

students choose to join the Army Cadets, Air Cadets, Sea

Cadets, Police Cadets, Scouts or any other group the benefits

are definitely there.’

Any student wanting to find out more information about any

of the cadet forces, or any youth organisations, can drop in

to Room 20 and speak to Mr Hellier who can advise on

contact details and meeting times, etc.

The South West Skills Show

The South West Skills Show will be held at UWE Conference Centre on the 5th July. The South West Skills Show will be the largest

employer-led skills and careers event in the South West. The show will provide a stage for young people, and those within their sphere

of influence, the opportunity to ‘have a go’ at a range of work related skills, speak to employers from all over the South West, many

with global operations. It will offer the chance to look at specific careers, talk to people already doing the jobs, and gain a complete

understanding of the routes in to employment or further education.

For employers and sponsors, the show provides a unique opportunity to showcase their businesses and industry to a large number of

local young people, meeting and shaping the employees of the future. For my information about the events http://

southwestskillsshow.co.uk/

http://southwestskillsshow.co.uk/

http://southwestskillsshow.co.uk/

Nailsea School

NEWSLETTER

May 2016 | Term 5


School Council— London Trip

Nailsea School

Student

Council

experienced a

thought

provoking trip

to London

taking in the

London Eye

and the Houses of Parliament. Students had the fantastic

opportunity of seeing Home Secretary Theresa May debating

in parliament. This was followed up with a workshop where

the students from Year 7 through to Year 13 were set a

number of challenges to focus their learning on how people

can affect change. Using the suffragette movement as an

example students considered whether breaking the law was

a necessary step in advancing a cause.

Working in groups, students were then challenged to design

their own campaign for change and chose subjects including

the EU and Brexit, changes to examination grading, the

curriculum in comparison to European schools and the rising

price of chocolate.

School President Alex George said “It was amazing to witness

first-hand the parliamentary system at work in such a

magnificent, historically fascinating building. It is essential

that young people are educated about how their country

and their future is governed, so that they know how to get

involved and how to create meaningful change. This trip,

including the excellent workshops led by the tour guides,

was incredibly beneficial as well as enjoyable”

The parliamentary workers complimented the students,

stating they were impressed with their work and made a

point of commenting on how well the different age groups

integrated which is not something they often see. Director

of Learning and Achievement Mr Copleston said “Nailsea

School students are often encouraged to work together and

break down the boundaries between year groups which

provides an opportunity to learn from their peers. The

Student Council today demonstrated a mature approach in

tackling some complex issues and we observed some

insightful opinions from both Year 7s and Year 13s. This trip

will have taught students that there are a number of ways to

get their voice heard and we look forward to seeing the

results of this on return to school.”

Debating Team

Candidates of the

Nailsea School

debating team joined

MP Dr Liam Fox, who

invited both Nailsea

and Churchill School to

the Houses of

Parliament after their

success in the School’s

debating competition.

‘Wellie’ Good Sports!

Many thanks to those that

took part in the RNLI

fundraising campaign ‘Fill

Your Boots’.

Students and staff helped

raise funds for the RNLI by wearing their boots throughout

the school day.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is funded entirely by

charitable donations.

NAILSEA SCHOOL STARS Celebrating those that have aimed a little bit higher, believed in going the extra mile and succeeded in reaching their goals. If

there’s someone you think deserves “Nailsea School Stars” recognition, then please do drop us an email with details to

[email protected] or [email protected]

Nailsea School

NEWSLETTER

May 2016 | Term 5


Presentation Evening Last year’s Nailsea School and Sixth Form leavers were invited

back to celebrate the successes that they achieved during

their time here.

Awards were given across all

subjects for best effort made and

best achievement, the Head Boy

and Head Girl also received awards

from the Headteacher whilst the

school Governors awarded the

School Presidents.

The event was well attended and a

lovely opportunity to see how the

students had progressed Guests

socialised in the canteen where

refreshments were served by the

Outlook Expeditions—Malawi Trip volunteers.

Tomas Briggs and Ellie Light are nominated for ’Star status’ for their excellent work on ‘The Tempest’ in English. Impressive!

Praise for Year 7 student Cian Farrell – well done Cian for always working to your best ability and pushing yourself in Science!

Congratulations to Year 8s Evie Marshall and Elin Beaver who represented the South West at the English Sports Hall Athletics

Championships during the Easter holidays.

Vivian Davies and Alex Williams made exceptional effort and achieved a superb outcome, for their Year 12 Textiles/Fashion A

level coursework, fab especially considering that neither of them took textiles at GCSE.

Fabulous effort from Year 12 Geography student Kyran Underhill for creating an amazing globalisation movie to promote the

year 8 globalisation project! Great work!

Year 7 student Megan Frost has recently moved up a set in Maths and managed to come top of the class in a recent test – she

has made amazing progress. An exceptional achievement!

Year 10 Business Studies student Taylor Moore made a great job of leading her group during the Tenner Challenge. Fantastic

leadership skills Taylor!

Congratulations to Year 8 student Naomi Moore who came 1st in the 13-and-under Clarinet and to Year 7 student Sophie Capern

who came 2nd in the 11-and-under Violin Set Piece both at the Weston Arts Festival. Well done girls!

Nailsea School

WHAT’S ON - FROM THE LINK For further details regarding any of these activities please contact The Link—details below

01275 866 787 | 07969 335735 | [email protected] | www.nailseaschool.com

T h e L i n k N a i l s e a S c h o o l M i z z y m e a d Ro a d N a i l s e a B S 4 8 2 H N

This course will involve the tutor

working with you on

characterisation, dialogue and

more specifically keeping to a word

count.

Guidance can also be given on entering short

story competitions.

For further information contact The Link (details

below).

Six Week Course

Only £55

Starts Monday 6th June

6pm—8pm

Short Stories

2016-17 Events Programme

The Link is currently planning its new course selection for

next year. We would love to have your feedback and suggestions on what you would like to see on offer here either as an afterschool club, evening class, weekend activities or as a holiday club. This year we have run a range of courses including Glassmaking, Italian classes and Novel Writing. Next year we hope to offer a new range of craft classes and First Aid.

http://www.nailseaschool.com