NEWSLETTERAmbition, Achievement, Equality, Respect, Care

July 2013  

It seems impossible that we have reached the end of this academic year.

As I reflect on what has been achieved since September I am amazed at the energy and drive that has kept students and staff focused on achieving success. We await the Results Days in August, confident that the students’ achievement will reflect their ability and the hard work that most of them put in. The majority of tears on that day are tears of joy. We look forward to sharing this celebration with them.

As you will see in the newsletter, we have enjoyed significant success in the field of sport this term. The Sixth Form regained their gold medal slot in the town wide Sixth Form Olympics and Year 9 won the cup for overall top performance in the Creative Education Academies Trust Day of Sport. We are used to competing at town and county level; it was a new departure to compete against our Trust family of schools. We are looking forward to many more high quality events of this kind.

We said a final goodbye to some of our Year 11 students at their Prom at the Saints last Friday. They looked wonderful and their behaviour was exemplary. All the staff present commented on what a pleasure it was to spend time with them. We feel privileged to be working with so many of them again in September as they join our Sixth Form.

So from goodbyes to hellos. We are looking forward to so many new students joining us in Year 7 in September; Abbeyfield School continues to grow in popularity. We enjoyed their company on Transfer Evening and Transfer Day. They will be very welcome members of our new school community.

We are delighted to welcome a new Chair of Governors to the Local Governing Board of Abbeyfield School. Peter Walls comes to us with a wealth of experience in both school Governance and in his role as Director of Industrial and Employee Relations with Royal Mail. He will be joining a group of hard working and dedicated people who govern the school with sound judgement and wisdom. Following nominations for Parent Governors this term, I am also delighted to welcome Conrad Saint and Martin Crookes to the LGB.

At this time of year we always say goodbye to some members of staff. Jan Vince leaves us after more years than she will allow me to say, serving the young people of this school. Many students, and dare I say, parents will remember her as an outstanding teacher who works tirelessly to ensure students’ success. We will miss her.

Others who we will miss are: Paul Gatiss from Drama, Kelley Hughes from History, Shelley Arundell from Hair and Beauty, Jo Hyde from Science, Lola Coles from English, Jennie Goulding from Psychology, Beth Salmon from Music. Each of them is leaving for exciting new ventures and take our gratitude and good wishes with them.

In September students will meet the exceptional new teachers who are starting with us for the new academic year.

It only remains for me to wish you all a good holiday wherever you are intending to spend it. September will be here very soon. Claire Morrell Principal

Year 9 and 10 Awards On Tuesday 2 July, Abbeyfield School held the annual Awards Ceremony for attainment and achievement for Years 9 and 10. The guest of honour was Marc Jordan, Chief Executive of Creative Education Academies. Mr Jordan presented the awards and also addressed the students on the importance of education within a globalised ‘knowledge’ economy.

In addition to individual awards across a range of subject areas, a number of special presentations were made.

On the afternoon of the Awards Ceremony, Abbeyfield School won the first CEAT inter schools sports competition to take place against four other schools within the family of CEAT secondary academies. The trophy was presented to Year 9 student, Elliott Bartley, on behalf of the team.

The annual Sophie Bywaters award for the Year 9 student who best embodies the qualities of kindness and caring was presented this year to Hollie Smith. A vote of thanks was given by Rhys Barnes and Rio Malcom who also presented Mr Jordan with a carefully crafted side table made by students of Design Technology.

Year 7 and 8 Awards

Years 7 and 8 had their annual awards for achievement and attainment on 11 July. This was rather a busy day for our Year 7 students and their staff, as many had been on a visit to London to the Design Museum.

Students are awarded prizes in each subject area. Only one prize is awarded under each category and therefore receipt of one of these prizes is very much to be celebrated. In addition, we also recognised our ‘Sports Personalities of the Year’ and the commitment of our students to the core values of the school; these were awarded to students who had demonstrated ambition, respect, care, equality and achievement.

The guest of honour was Martyn Coles, Director of Education for Creative Education Academies Trust. Mr Coles presented the awards and addressed the students on not only the importance of achievement but on the development of personal skills which will prepare them for employment.

A vote of thanks was given by Gabriella Teriaca and Joshua Bastow, who also presented Mr Coles with a side table designed and produced by students of Design Technology.

Music Tuition

Have you considered learning a musical instrument? Did you play at primary school and stop when you moved to Abbeyfield, but think you’d like to give it another go?

I am currently in the process of organising tuition for September. We offer tuition in Upper Strings, Woodwind, Brass, Piano and Keyboard, Brass, Guitar and Voice and we are looking for new starters. Tuition is available in small groups or individually and provided by the Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust. Although there is a charge for tuition, it is heavily subsidised by school. In return we ask that all students receiving tuition take part in an extra-curricular ensemble to consolidate their learning and develop ensemble skills as well as making new friends.

Learning an instrument is very rewarding and looks excellent on CVs. There may be opportunities for students to perform throughout the year.

If you would like more information, students should see Mrs Hall or Miss Smith; alternatively you can email Hannah.hall@abbeyfieldschool.org.uk for an information pack.

Congratulations to Year 11 student Gary Scarboro who has been awarded £1000 towards a new trombone through the Awards for Young Musicians organisation. Gary was one of 130 students who was awarded funding from over 400 applicants and had to audition for the award earlier in the year. A fantastic achievement!

Mrs H Hall - Subject Leader, Music Year 7 Creative Curriculum Design Programme

The CEAT Design Programme has been in place since September. This is being delivered by Art, Design Technology and ICT. Students have had the opportunity to work with professional designers during Launch Days, this is when they are ‘off timetable’ and working on specific ‘hands on’ type activities. The last one was based around sound and pitch, where students made an instrument out of recycled packaging. These days have been received positively by the students and the students have been engaged and enthused by this different way of working. The groups have moved around 5 subject areas in DT, Textiles, Graphics, Food, Resistant Materials and Technology. They have explored how lots of different mediums and materials perform within the Projects they have studied. CEAT organised and funded the trip down to the Design Museum in London; students visited the exhibition and completed some activities based on this. They also had a walk along the river Thames where they were able to see and sketch some of the famous buildings such as Tower Bridge and City Hall. Mrs G Petersen Director of Learning Expressive Arts

Art

Another busy year within the Department; the annual exhibition took place on the 26 June alongside the ‘Echoes’ Expressive Arts Show. The whole cohort of Year 11 students’ work was on display in classrooms and along the Art corridor. We had a room dedicated to Year 13 where we had work from the three specialisms of Fine Art, Art/Craft/Design and Textiles.

Work considered to be outstanding was displayed in Refectory Pod 1 and has now been transferred to the Foyer area, so is accessible for all to view on entering the school. The exhibition was very well attended and the work received a lot of positive comments. Many thanks to all those who attended.

Four of our A Level students are going onto the Art Foundation Course at UCN and two are continuing with degree courses in Graphics and Interior Design. We wish them every success.

Mrs G Petersen Director of Learning – Expressive Arts

Year 10 Exam Preparation Day

Year 10 students had the opportunity to be involved in workshops to encourage the use of a variety of revision methods.

Students were shown how to do essay question preparation, to write effective revision cards and shown a variety of revision apps and websites.

Mrs K Murphy – Assistant Principal Sixth Form News

At Abbeyfield, we have a policy of selecting a number of senior students, through a process of letter and CV applications plus an interview, to be Leading Students.

The Leading Students have a significant role in leading events in the Sixth Form and the school community as a whole. Through the application process, they have shown themselves to be committed to seeing the Sixth Form develop further and to have ideas as to how to do it. They take on important organising roles, enabling key events and support to be put into place for the benefit of all Sixth Formers and other students. For example, in the last year, Leading Students have organised the Charity Showcase, the Halloween Fright Night, a number or Sixth Form ‘socials’ and inter-form sports.

The benefit for Leading Students is that they develop essential transferable skills which impress universities and employees. They also develop a good deal of self-confidence as a result of taking on (and achieving) the challenges encountered in the role. The Leading Students for 2013-14 have now been selected and will be: Ben Grier, Charlie Hall, Hollie Hambidge, Lincoln Kettle, Anwar Malik and George Tildesley. They are already working on putting their ideas into practice and we hope to be able to report on their progress in the new academic year.

Well done to these students, and thanks and commiserations to those who were not successful in their applications. Mr J Barter - Head of Sixth Form

Sixth Form Olympics 2013 On Friday 21 June 2013 all of the Abbeyfield Year 12s got together to compete in the Northampton Sixth Form Olympics which took place at Moulton College. Spirits were high as everyone looked the part in their t-shirts, thanks to Ben Grier who organised the day’s events. The other schools involved were Northampton Academy, Northampton School for Girls and Duston. They were outnumbered by all of our Year 12s, who took part in the event and went along to support their peers.

The events which took place during the day included football, tennis, ultimate Frisbee, archery, athletics and tug of war. Abbeyfield won in four out of the six events, which couldn’t have been done without the wonderful teamwork and support throughout the group from both the students and teachers alike. Initially being quite apprehensive about ultimate Frisbee, we ended up scoring triple the amount of all the other teams which was a great achievement, considering the team only learnt the rules five minutes before the game even started!

Our tug of war teams were unstoppable, winning every contest, making it look easy! Even the teachers stepped in for NSG to create a ‘boys’ team, which included Mr Mills and Mr Barter, demonstrating strong team spirit. Overall, it was a really enjoyable day, which saw our Abbeyfield Sixth Form come out victorious. Well done to everyone who took part and supported, you’ve done your school proud! Written by the new Leading Students: Ben Grier, Hollie Hambidge, Charlie Hall, Lincoln Kettle, Anwar Malik and George Tildesley.  

PE News – Town Athletics

Congratulations to the following Year 7 students who represented Abbeyfield at the Town Athletics Championships held at Rockingham Triangle on 13 June.

They were a credit to us, performing and behaving brilliantly in particularly challenging weather conditions:

Aimee Smith Leonie Kelly-Wilson Leanne Kelly-Wilson Chloe Inwood Alex Lewis Zoe Sljivic Chloe Jenson Phoebe Snedker Megan Schofield Sasha Hunt Kyle Plummer Kamron Dron Yupeng Su Tom Eastwood Connor Wright Lucas Turton Kai Phillips Ethan Harris Max Kerr Mason Muir

Overall, the Boys Team finished 7th and the Girls Team came a very creditable 4th. Notable performers who excelled in their event and will go on to represent the Town are:

Leanne Kelly-Wilson: 1st Discus Megan Schofield: 1stHigh Jump Alex Lewis: 2nd 800m

Students from Years 8 to 11 took part in the Town Athletics Championships at Corby Athletic Stadium on 16 June 213 Students in Years 8 and 9 were entered into the Junior team category and students in Years 10 and 11 were in the Inter teams. The results overall are as follows -

Junior girls – 8th Inter boys – 7th

Inter Girls – 4th Junior Boys – 2nd

Top performers were (1st, 2nd, and 3rd)

Dimitri Guidea – High Jump 1st Bayleigh Newby – Hurdles 1st Charlie Stockport – 100m 2nd Tamara Tonsley – 200m 3rd Maria McCarthy – 800m 3rd Rio Malcolm – Shot 2nd Zara Luddington – 200m 3rd Lewis Vilbro – Hurdles 3rd Elliott Bartley – 100m 2nd Andrew Groves – 200m 3rd Reece Young – High Jump 2nd Jovian Cardouza – Javelin 3rd

Well done to all the students who attended the Championships.

More congratulations to our sporting students …

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Morgan Bosley who will take on Europe after reigning supreme for England in the Junior Tri-Nations Boxing Tournament in Warrington. Morgan who attends Far Cotton Amateur Boxing Club was awarded the gold medal and will now go onto represent England in the Junior European Championships in Dublin and the Junior World Championships in Ukraine later this year. Morgan was presented with his champions vest in Sheffield where he had the opportunity to train with the England Team.

Congratulations to Year 7 student, Alexandra Lewis who recently won the county heat of the Under 14 ‘Road to Wimbledon’ competition which will see her play on the outside courts at SW19 in August.

Year 12 student Grace Adeyinka is ranked 16th in the country at Triple Jump. In the completion on Saturday 6th July Grace came 12th, jumping 11.06 metres; this is the standard for English Schools.

Abbeyfield Triumph at the inaugural CEAT Academies’ Sports Day On Tuesday 2 July, Abbeyfield competed against other CEAT Academies; Hagley Park, Ash Green, Fair Oak and Thisley Hough in the inaugural CEAT Academies Sports Day. Over the day, there was a range of exciting individual and team events including Football, Rounders, Softball, Badminton and Athletics. We were ably represented by a team of 40 students from Year 8 and Year 9 and after some very hard-fought contests,

some notable performances and an overall great team effort, we triumphed over the opposition to win the event overall. Well done to all who took part and special congratulations to standout performers; Elliott Bartley, Jovian Cardouza, Yinka Awoyemi, Chloe Albert-Keaitng, Zara Luddington, Esosa Noruwa and Claudia Gunn. Mrs C Perrin Director of Learning - Physical Education

Abbeyfield Sports Badges

This year the PE Department have started an honours system where students can receive Half Colours and Full Colours for their sporting achievements.

Students who maintain a high level of performance in Physical Education and School Sport will be presented with a badge and their name added to the Colours Board outside the fitness suite. Students will wear their badge opposite the logo on their school sweat shirt.

The Half Colours Sports Badge is awarded to students who – Attend school clubs regularly. Demonstrate a high level of performance. Represent the school or another club on a regular basis.

The Full Colours Sports Badge is awarded to students who - Awarded to students who already meet the standard required for half colours and - Demonstrate an exceptional level of performance. Compete at higher level; County standard or higher.

Congratulations to the following students who have completed their Half Colours Sports Badge -

Year 7 Football (Boys) Year 7 Football (Girls) Year 7 Badminton Tom Connolly Leanne Kelly-Wilson Aminoor Masoom Kai Phillips Leonie Kelly-Wilson Kane Wake Harrison Markie Jessica Piff Kain Waldon Jamie Vaughan Abbie Reboul Alex Haywood Kieran Sewell Tabitha Ward Alex Goss Ryan Coffey Jade Ward Connor Wright Lewis Bee Kai Phillips Owen Heasman Yupeng Su Jamie Collingwood Taku Masikati Cameron Elliott Jake Curry Robert Lawrenson Denis Neculai Takunda Masikati

Year 8 Football (Boys) Year 8 Rugby Year 9 Football Jack Bradshaw Josh Bastow Nathan Peach Brandon Downey Andrew Groves Kyle Peach Isaiah Bazeley Mitchell Hanley Roshane Simpson Andrew Groves Joseph Pyke Tom Vaughan Zak Kitchen Yinka Awoyemi Joe Bastick Year 8 Trampolining Craig Coxon Joe Bamford Leanne Barnes Elliott Bartley Lewis Canning Joseph Stocks Cory Voysey Harvey Doe Gracie Bayliss Jamie Culley Dane Walker Abbie Johnston Massi Moussi Joseph Pyke Casey Oladele-Edwards Deen Muluswela Mason Frost Will Rainbow Luke Piff Mitchell Hanley Jed Richardson Max Hambidge Year 8 Badminton Thomas Knight. Jordan Cox Nathan Lockett Harjan Briah Joseph Stocks Harry Mulligan John Wilkinson

Expressive Arts Show This year’s Expressive Arts Show, Echo, saw more students than ever before taking part, particularly those from the younger years, and once again the students proved themselves to be nothing but excellent. Every seat in the theatre had been allocated, another first for a show of this kind, which helped to create an electric atmosphere for the students to show off some of the best work to come out of the faculty this year. It was a fitting end to a glorious day where the excellent Art work had been on display for students, parents and visitors to enjoy too. The show saw all three disciplines well represented: AS Drama performances from Kim Nguyen, Nathan Humberstone and Charlotte Giddens were presented as well as a taster from the Year 9 production of ‘Hope Springs’. There were music compositions from Gary Scarboro and Demi Rixon as well as performances from GCSE and BTEC Musicians Ellie Smith, Joe Cullimore and Jordan Mason. Group dances from contemporary group DNA and Gifte d and Talented boys group Amory were complemented by solos from Ellie Smith and ex-student Ella Whitehouse as well as a performance from some of the members of Cartel, a hip hop crew of whom Year 11 Daniel Fullard is a member. Daniel and the boys were fundraising that evening for their trip to Las Vegas to represent England in the World Hip Hop Championships and were thrilled to raise £150 towards the cost of their trip. The students all performed with confidence and enthusiasm, and behaved in a mature and professional manner both on the night and in the weeks leading up to the performance, attending extra rehearsals and giving up their free time. It is occasions like these that remind me just how much I love being a teacher of an arts subject and I know that myself and all of my colleagues from the faculty are extremely proud of every single student who took part. Mrs H Hall Subject Leader – Music

Dance Group Amory

The Community Police have kindly sent the information below to remind us all about personal safety during the warmer weather.

For a guide to home security please visit the following websites – www.crimereduction.gov.uk and www.homeoffice.gov.uk or the police website www.securebydesign.com

NN4 eight.co.uk Working for the community

Photography competition To get your application from email chair@nn4eight.co.ukfor more information about the

competition find NN4eight on Facebook closing date (23rd August 2013, 21:00)

NN4eight community mission ‘To promote and enhance the character, environment, amenities and overall community conditions

of Delapre, Far Cotton and Briar Hill for everyone who lives, works or uses the area.’ NN4eight CHALLENGE YOU TO CAPTURE IN A PHOTO, YOUR IMAGES OF OUR AREA.

Buildings, people, landscapes or anything in NN4eight area (NN4 8## postcode) Categories: black & white or colour, Age groups 13-20/20-42/42+, camera phone/ Digital camera

Prize: winning pictures in the NN4eight 2014 calendar

‘Remember it’s your competition, so let’s get clicking’ Web: nn4eight.co.uk/ email: info@nn4eight.co.uk/facebook:nn4eight/twitter:#nn4eight

TAKE THE STAGE ON PEACE DAY! Two young people have the opportunity to represent the world’s youth on stage with the stars in The Hague on Peace Day. Whether you are a parent, teacher or older sibling, is there anyone you know who would want to fly to The Hague and stand alongside leaders, musicians and artists as the face of young people everywhere? Who will represent the millions of incredible children worldwide actively engaging with Peace Day? You decide! If you are a teacher who has been championing peace in your classroom, please encourage your students to put themselves forward. I know, for many of you, term is drawing to a close, but there is still time to inspire your pupils to take action in the name of peace, whether in the classroom or at home. With so many ideas and activities around peace and sustainability, our Education Resources are as much for parents as they are for teachers, and we would love for young people to go home and share this opportunity with their mums and dads. Help us make noise about this incredible opportunity! All the young people have to do is visit our free, interactive Education Resources, where they can complete an entry form. It couldn’t be simpler:

1. Get the parents onboard (one parent will accompany the winners free of charge) 2. Register at www.peaceoneday.org/resources 3. Complete the short competition entry form, using a parental email address Submission deadline: 6th September 12 noon (London Time) We will select 10 finalists and ask them to submit a short 30 second speech (written or video) they would give on the stage at the concert and from these we will select the two winning entries. The winners will be flown under the care and sponsorship of British Airways to The Hague to take part in this incredible celebration. The two winning pairs (a parent and child) will also enjoy two nights’ accommodation as part of the prize. Thank you for all you do to inspire the next generation of peacemakers. Thank you for spreading the word! In peace

Jeremy Gilley Founder of Peace One Day Follow on Twitter Like on Facebook Google+

Planned Absence during Term Time for Holidays Dear Parents/Carers You will have read in the news recently that the Government has now given schools and local authorities the power to fine parent/carers for taking their children out of school during term time for holidays. At Abbeyfield School we have followed DFE policy from 2006 when schools were advised not to authorise holidays during term time unless there were “exceptional circumstances” Please be advised that our policy will not need to change following the latest Government edict. We do however urge you to think carefully about the possible consequences of a block of time out of school for holidays. Also, please make sure you continue to let us know when and how long your child will be absent for. If a child is absent from school for 10 school days, we have to report them as “missing from education” and this could lead to police involvement. We know that with the economic downturn it is cheaper for parents to pay the fine than for them to book a holiday during school holidays BUT Please check the following before you book a holiday during term time: Your child’s current attendance record.

Will the absence put them into the Persistent Absence category? (Less than 85% attendance. See Thresholds information in you Parent Attendance Leaflet or check the school website).

Will your child miss a block of time from school or can you arrange dates around school holiday dates so that only a few school days are missed?

Will they miss any essential events /assessments/coursework deadlines/exams?

Please note; any time taken will not be authorised and will affect your child’s overall attendance for the academic year.

The following report was recently published in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo - ‘No provision’ for term-time holiday From 1 September, Headteachers will not be able to grant a leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term-time. Parents who fail to ensure their child’s regular attendance at school can be referred to the County Council’s Education Entitlement Team, who have the power to prosecute parents and fine them £60.00. The Government is also reducing the time parents have to pay the fine from 28 to 21 days, which enables prosecutions to be faster. If you have any queries about the latest legislation – please contact anybody on the Attendance Team for further clarification Helen Wilkinson - Attendance Manager Therese Powderly – Director of Attendance Debbie Hendle – Attendance Assistant

First Aid

It is important to make parents aware that the First Aiders in school cannot deal with any injury or illness that has occurred over the weekend, if you have any doubts then you must seek professional medical attention. We can only deal with incidents that occur at school within school hours.

The School does not hold any medication such as pain killers or hay fever remedies. If your child develops any medical condition at any time then we must be made aware of it. May I also ask that you keep us updated with all contact details.

Thank you for your cooperation. Mrs C Webster - First Aider

Exam Results

Students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 are invited to come into school to collect their exam results on the following days –

AS/A2 Results – Thursday 15 August 2013 Year 13 students from 9.00am – 1.00pm Year 12 students from 9.30am – 1.00pm

GCSE Results – Thursday 22 August 2013 Year 11 students from 9.30am – 1.00pm Year 12/13 students from 10.00am – 1.00pm Year 10 students (English and Science results) from 12.00pm – 2.00pm

Results must be collected in person. If you are not able to collect them on the specified day please leave a large, stamped-addressed envelope with the Exam Office before the end of term – a 90p stamp is required. Year 9 students who were entered for the Cambridge Nationals in ICT will receive their results in September.

Mrs J Harrold - Examinations Manager

Dates for your diary

Tuesday 23 July 2013

School closes for summer holiday – students dismissed from 1.00pm

Thursday 15 August 2013

AS/A2 Results Year 13 students from 9.00am – 1.00pm Year 12 students from 9.30am – 1.00pm

Thursday 22 August 2013

GCSE Results Year 11 students from 9.30am – 1.00pm Year 12/13 students from 10.00am – 1.00pm Year 10 students from 12.00pm – 2.00pm (English and Science results)

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Training Day

Wednesday 4 September

School opens to students