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Tuxford Topics 1 Staff returning to work after the May Bank Holiday were soon jolted out of relaxation mode by the unexpected news of a full Ofsted inspection. Under the new inspection framework only short notice is given so the team of inspectors arrived at school on the day after the announcement. Having been classified as outstanding after the 2009 inspection Tuxford School would not have been subjected to a routine assessment during the next three year cycle - but that all changed in August when the school closed and Tuxford Academy opened! Being a high performing school - and a long-established improvement partner of other local schools - should mean that we find an inspection is relatively straightforward. We know that we have excellent systems in place, that we have talented teachers and that our students are well-motivated. But none of that prevents school leaders and staff from becoming nervous. It is only natural to want to impress our visitors on the day. In preparation for inspectors visiting classrooms, teachers had to transfer plans for all their lessons to official forms. School leaders and admin staff had to extract documentary evidence of the school’s good work from computers and filing cabinets for the inspectors’ scrutiny. The inspection took place over two days, Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th May. Many lessons were observed and many discussions took place. Everything progressed smoothly and Mr Lloyd was pleased with the way that everyone rose to the challenge in typical Tuxford style. At the end of the second day provisional findings were fed back to the academy’s Leadership Team. At the time of going to print the inspection report had not been received - but by now it should be on the school’s website. Tuxford Topics is the official termly newsletter of Tuxford Academy, Marnham Road, Tuxford, NG22 0JH www.tuxford-ac.org.uk Tuxford Topics Ofsted Inspection 2012 Issue No. 71 Summer Term 2012 Incorporating Essential Read It was marvellous to see so many students getting involved with the annual Tuxford Doodle competition in February, with a record number of entries from all four colleges and from every year group (over 70 entries in total!). Ranging from pencil drawings to collages and from graffiti art to portraits, entries truly reflected the talent we have at Tuxford Academy. The competition was inaugurated by Post 16 students as a showcase for extra- curricular creative arts in much the same way that Tuxford’s Got Talent features students’ wider interest in expressive arts. It is hoped that sixth formers will continue to arrange and curate the event in future. The winning entries this year were chosen by Mr Lloyd and other members of the Leadership Team and are now proudly on display in the Ash reception. Well done to all who took part and special congratulations to the winners: First place: Jade Rasche (8ODH) Second place: James Black (8WAT) and Rowan Ridsdale (7WAH) Third place: Tempany Johnson (9BPE) and Connor Morrison (8ADG) Connor gave us a little background information on his entry: “I decided to enter the Tuxford Doodle competition because I didn’t last year and I really missed out. I drew a red kite (my favourite bird of prey) because it relates to my twin interests of animals and sketching.” Top: Doodle competition winning entry by Jade Rasche (8ODH) Above, right: Third place entry by Connor Morrison (8ADG) Tuxford Doodle Winners

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Page 1: Tuxford Topics issue 72

TuxfordTopics

1

Staff returning to work after the MayBank Holiday were soon jolted out ofrelaxation mode by the unexpectednews of a full Ofsted inspection.Under the new inspection frameworkonly short notice is given so the teamof inspectors arrived at school on theday after the announcement. Havingbeen classified as outstanding after the2009 inspection Tuxford School wouldnot have been subjected to a routineassessment during the next three yearcycle - but that all changed in Augustwhen the school closed and TuxfordAcademy opened!

Being a high performing school - and along-established improvement partnerof other local schools - should meanthat we find an inspection is relativelystraightforward. We know that we haveexcellent systems in place, that we havetalented teachers and that our studentsare well-motivated. But none of thatprevents school leaders and staff frombecoming nervous. It is only natural towant to impress our visitors on the day.

In preparation for inspectors visitingclassrooms, teachers had to transferplans for all their lessons to officialforms. School leaders and admin staffhad to extract documentary evidenceof the school’s good work fromcomputers and filing cabinets for theinspectors’ scrutiny.

The inspection took place over twodays, Wednesday 9th and Thursday10th May. Many lessons were observedand many discussions took place.Everything progressed smoothly andMr Lloyd was pleased with the waythat everyone rose to the challenge intypical Tuxford style. At the end of thesecond day provisional findings werefed back to the academy’s LeadershipTeam. At the time of going to print theinspection report had not beenreceived - but by now it should be onthe school’s website.

Tuxford Topics is the official termly newsletter of Tuxford Academy, Marnham Road, Tuxford, NG22 0JH

www.tuxford-ac.org.uk

Tuxford Topics

Ofsted Inspection

2012

Issue No. 71 • Summer Term 2012Incorporating Essential Read

It was marvellous to see so many studentsgetting involved with the annual TuxfordDoodle competition in February, with arecord number of entries from all fourcolleges and from every year group (over70 entries in total!). Ranging from pencildrawings to collages and from graffiti art toportraits, entries truly reflected the talentwe have at Tuxford Academy.

The competition was inaugurated byPost 16 students as a showcase for extra-curricular creative arts in much the sameway that Tuxford’s Got Talent featuresstudents’ wider interest in expressive arts.It is hoped that sixth formers will continueto arrange and curate the event in future.

The winning entries this year were chosenby Mr Lloyd and other members of theLeadership Team and are now proudly ondisplay in the Ash reception.

Well done to all who took part and specialcongratulations to the winners:

First place: JadeRasche (8ODH)Second place:James Black(8WAT) and RowanRidsdale (7WAH)Third place:Tempany Johnson(9BPE) and ConnorMorrison (8ADG)

Connor gave us a littlebackground information onhis entry: “I decided toenter the Tuxford Doodlecompetition because Ididn’t last year and I reallymissed out. I drew a red kite (myfavourite bird of prey) because itrelates to my twin interests ofanimals and sketching.”

Top: Doodle competition winning entry byJade Rasche (8ODH)Above, right: Third place entry by ConnorMorrison (8ADG)

Tuxford Doodle Winners

Page 2: Tuxford Topics issue 72

2 Tuxford Topics

A Message from the Head of School

Welcome to Edition 71 of Tuxford

Topics. Yet again, it is full of high quality

articles which capture some of the

achievements and activities of our

students.

In this termly publication, it is

impossible to report on all that happens

at Tuxford Academy but hopefully this

publication allows us to showcase and

acknowledge at least some of the

talents, attributes and skills our

students possess. They are a credit to

the Academy. In addition to reporting

on what is happening at the Academy

now, previous publications will become

historical documents, reflecting on life

in a busy secondary school in the 21st

century. We keep copies of Tuxford

Topics in our archives and I have no

doubt they will be re-read in years to

come.

Reading this edition of Tuxford Topics, I

am yet again impressed with the

sporting achievement of our students

both past and present. We have former

student Amy Needham, gaining her first

rugby cap for the England U20’s, whilst

Year 13 student Jade Tiller captains the

Lincoln City netball team. These

activities read in conjunction with

others in past copies of Tuxford Topics,

identify how many high performing

athletes there are at the Academy, many

of them competing at regional or

national levels.

The number of educational visits and

fixtures for our students participating in

competitions is another theme which

emerges when reading this and past

copies of Tuxford Topics. In this edition

there are reports on: ‘The President’s

Challenge’, Creative Arts Jubilee

Project, ‘Shake the Dust’, Extreme

Physics, Sewhat Fashion Event, the

Drama Residential, Year 8 Gifted and

Talented competition and The Delancy

UK Schools’ Chess Challenge 2012. All

these activities allow our students to

work and compete with others and

they are always impeccable and

represent the Academy proudly.

Finally, this term, the Academy will

present the musical production “We

Will Rock You.” It will involve many

students from all key stages supported

by staff and I know it will play to packed

houses. I am eagerly looking forward to

this opportunity to showcase the many

talents of our students.

Geoff LloydPrincipal

Current Year 8 to stay on until 18

The Government has confirmed its

commitment to raising the

“participation age” to 18 by 2015 in

spite of the recession. The Education

and Skills Act 2008 which increased the

minimum age at which young people in

England can leave learning will not be

amended. Therefore from 2013

students will continue in education or

training until the end of the academic

year in which they turn 17 and from

2015 until their 18th birthday.

In some respects this is not as simple as

raising the school leaving age. Raising

the participation age (RPA) does not

mean young people must stay in school;

they will able to choose one of the

following options:

• full-time education, such as school,

college or home education

• work-based learning, such as an

Apprenticeship

• part-time education or training if

they are employed, self-employed

or volunteering for more than 20

hours a week

Tuxford Academy will continue to work

closely with both students and parents

to ensure an appropriate pathway is

found. We are working extremely hard

at broadening our current offer within

the Tuxford Post 16 Centre to ensure

suitable courses are provided for as

many young adults as possible.

If you would like any further

information on this then please contact

Mr Simpson or Mr Cotton at the

school.

For course information see theHibernia College website.

To book a place at our drop-in sessionplease email James Reid, Hub School

Manager:

[email protected]

stating your name, contact details(email and telephone), relevant

qualifications (degree, university andclass of degree) and probable time

of arrival.

If teaching Maths or Science is

something you can see yourself

doing, why not consider enrolling

with the Tuxford Academy and

Hibernia College partnership? We

continue to look for gifted and

motivated candidates to apply for

the programme.

Key information:

• The opportunity to

continue working as you

train

• Access to Subject

Knowledge Enhancement

• TDA funding available to

eligible applicants

• Course duration: 2 years

• 24 weeks of full-time school

experience in two separate

schools

• One week observation in a

primary school

• Eight onsite workshops held

locally in schools and

partner universities

Next intake: July 2012

Come to our drop-insession for full details:

Tuesday 19th June,3.30-6.00pm

Ever thoughtof becoming a

teacher?

Page 3: Tuxford Topics issue 72

3Tuxford Topics

Tuxford wins Teaching School status

The National College for School

Leadership has confirmed that Tuxford

Academy has been chosen to become a

national teaching school from April this

year. It is one of only about 100 schools

in England to be granted teaching

school status in the second wave of

applications. The designation gives

outstanding schools the freedom and

autonomy to lead a group of schools,

and work with other partners including

at least one university, to deliver high

quality support for teachers and

leaders at all stages in their career.

Steve Munby, Chief Executive of the

National College, said: “Teaching

schools like Tuxford Academy need to

be at the top of their game to take on

this role - outstanding in their own

performance and have a track record of

raising standards through school-to-

school support.

“We now have over 200 teaching

schools around the country who are in

a position to harness the finest

teaching talent in the profession to

drive school improvement in innovative

ways, and bring real benefits to pupils

and staff.”

Tuxford Academy was eligible to

become a Teaching School because of a

clear track record of successful

collaboration with other schools;

consistently high levels of student

performance and outstanding

performances for both teaching and

learning and leadership and

management.

As a Teaching School we have formed

an alliance with all our feeder primary

schools, six secondary schools,

Nottinghamshire County Council and

local universities to ensure that high

standards in all aspects of education

are characteristics of all schools within

the partnership.

The National College which has

responsibility for the designation and

quality of the teaching schools

programme, is working closely with the

Department for Education (DfE), to

establish a national network of 500

teaching schools by 2014.

Lottery funding for

sensory garden

We are pleased to report that a funding

application for a Jubilee Garden at

Tuxford Academy has been successful.

Extended Services Coordinator Nicola

Manning learned last month that she had

been awarded £9,505 toward the

creation of a sensory garden next to the

Memorial Garden.

Nicola’s concept for the garden is

‘Breathing Space’ - an area especially

designed to appeal to those children at

school with special needs and groups or

individuals seeking a quiet meeting

place. The space will be designed to

stimulate the five senses but will also be

a calming place for students to go to in

order to practice breathing and

meditation exercises.

Kaisha receives Courage Award

Year 7 student Kaisha Palmer was

recently awarded a Courage Award by

The Rotary Clubs of Newark and

Newark Castle on Monday 19th March

2012, at an award event to honour

young people who have shown great

courage in overcoming personal

difficulties.

Kaisha is battling Friedreich’s Ataxia, a

condition that causes damage to the

nervous system. She experiences

problems of coordination when walking,

speaking and doing all those everyday

activities that the rest of us take for

granted.

As a result, Kaisha is frequently tired

and feels stiff and sore, particularly

towards the afternoon. She has a

wheelchair for use in the school and

often needs it to ease the discomfort as

she gets around. She uses the lift to save

having to negotiate the stairs, and this

often causes longer routes to her

classrooms. This doesn’t stop her taking

part in all her lessons; and Kaisha has

the biggest smile of any student at

Tuxford.

Gardening Tips

Please confirm your place with NicolaManning, Extended Services

Co-ordinator:

Tel: 01777 870001 ext. 571

or email

[email protected]

Learn the basics, growyour own and have fun!

• Adults with children.

• Come and learn

how to work an

allotment and

grow your own

organic fruit

and veg!

Free - new members welcome.

After school at Tuxford Allotments,Ash Vale Road,every Tuesday3.45pm - 5.00pm

Page 4: Tuxford Topics issue 72

4 Tuxford Topics

Torch Relay a great success

In anticipation of the Olympic Games

coming to London, the Bassetlaw Games

“flame” is travelling on a torch relay across

the district, covering a 90 mile route and

linking up 64 schools. It started its journey

on Monday 20th February.

A former Olympic athlete was the guest of

honour as the Bassetlaw Games torch

made its way to Tuxford Academy on

Thursday 15th March. It was foggy weather

as the torch left Tuxford Primary, carried by

Myles Downing, Year 14 student. On

reaching the academy’s main entrance, the

torch was passed to Year 11 student,

Jonathan Brannan who ran around the

school bus park as students in Years 7, 8

and 9 cheered him on.

Welcoming the torch was Mr Brendan

Reilly, who took part in the Olympic

Games in Barcelona in 1992 and also in

Sydney in 2000. Mr Reilly hoped the

occasion would work as a real inspiration

to students. “This school really is a

tremendous place, the students, the

facilities - it is all geared up to producing

champions of the future,” he said.

The school choir performed a special

version of Queen’s classic ‘One Vision’,

while the school dance group put on an

Olympic themed performance before the

famous five-ringed flag was hoisted up in

front of the school.

Academy Principal, Mr Geoff Lloyd, said

“This has been a fantastic day for the

school. Thanks to the Bassetlaw Games

initiative, we have captured some of the

excitement of the Olympics. I am sure that

every student will have a personal memory

of the event and will always remember the

year the Games came to our country.”

The actual Olympic torch will pass near to

the school on Thursday 28th June this year

as it tours the length and breadth of the

country, carried by a number of nominated

torch bearers. Two of our students Kate

Louise Bagnall 12ACW and Charlotte

Peach 10OHD, have been chosen to carry

the Olympic flame.

Page 5: Tuxford Topics issue 72

Seven schools across Nottinghamshire

entered the Challenge which we publicised in

our last edition, to create an environmentally-

friendly viable business venture.Their entries

were judged by an expert panel at the

Newark & Nottinghamshire County Show on

12th and 13th May before a team from Toothill

School, Bingham was named as winner.

The Tuxford team was present at the

Showground. Members of the public were

able to question them and team members

were excellent ambassadors for the school.

Their display attracted a lot of interest.

Newark & Nottinghamshire Agricultural

Society President Mich Stevenson OBE, had

visited Tuxford Academy on Monday 27th

February to launch the challenge. After

students in Years 8 and 9 gave a brief but

enlightening presentation Mr Stevenson said,

“I am very impressed by their understanding

of the business of growing and saving herbs.”

Tuxford teacher Delia Higgins who

coordinated the team’s work said she had

enjoyed every minute of the Challenge: “This

has been a fabulous opportunity to share the

work we are trying to do - and it has been an

ideal way to focus our work and thoughts.”

5Tuxford Topics

How Izzy improved her French

The best way of improving fluency in a

foreign language is to practise it over an

extended period of time. That was the

reasoning that led Izzy Cawthorne of

11AZR to stay with a French family for

ten days last summer. She enjoyed it so

much that she would recommend others

to arrange a similar exchange visit.

Izzy loves French. That is why she googled

“French exchange” and found a safe

website that offers genuine language

improvement opportunities for 11-18

year olds. (It is a site used by schools that

is School zone approved and funded via

PayPal.) They compare the interests of

applicants from different countries and

send photos/details of a matched person

and family for approval. If the applicant is

not happy with the selection, they will

send another for approval.

Izzy chose a girl from Paris of her age

named Constance Balland. Constance

came to stay with Izzy first and then Izzy

joined Constance and her family on their

summer holiday at Quiberon in Brittany.

Constance got to spend time at Tuxford

School whilst Izzy was on the beach every

day! The girls got on really well and they

are still in touch now. Both had plenty of

language practice as well as an insight into

a different culture. Izzy is grateful that the

Balland family only spoke to her in English

when she really struggled to understand.

The big language improvement that she

has noticed is a better accent.

In the future, Izzy would like to do voluntary

work abroad in a French speaking country.

She wants to study the language at

university and so her enthusiasm for the

subject is as strong as ever.

The President’s Challenge

Staff training recognition

Congratulations to Louise Holland-Allsopp

of the school’s support staff who has been

awarded the Student of the Term Award by

Dukeries College Adult and Community

Learning team. This award has been given

to Louise in recognition of the hard work

and determination she has shown since

she enrolled on an Advanced Business

Administration Apprenticeship course in

March 2011. Louise has achieved her

Level 3 BTEC Principles in Business

Administration, NVQ Business and

Administration, Functional Skills Maths

and English.

Louise started work at Tuxford Academy

in September 2006; she is employed as a

Faculty Support Assistant and provides

administrative and any other support

required for the 12 teaching staff of the

Humanities Faculty.

Louise is hoping to progress to Level 4

Business and Administration next

academic year. If anyone would like to

follow in Louise’s footsteps and complete

a recognised business administration

course, contact Jennie Griffiths on

01623 836796.

Page 6: Tuxford Topics issue 72

Jade Tiller has a placeat Leeds MetropolitanUniversity next yearto study physicaleducation. However,she already has animpressive CV thatincludes experienceas a professionallifeguard and as atap dance teacher.

Jade, who lives in Newark, attendedWilliam Robertson School, Welbournuntil the age of 16. There she learned toplay netball and found that she was goodat the game. She played for the school andin due course became the school’s netballcaptain. In her spare time she joined aNewark netball club and one day theLincoln City First team captain saw herplay and was so impressed that sheinvited Jade to a trial for the Lincoln club.Three years later Jade was made the firstteam captain for City, which is quite anhonour for an out of county player.

When asked for the secret of her success,Jade replied that she used to be a keen

6 Tuxford Topics

Tuxford

17 year old Alex MacDonald has yet topass his driver’s test, but he is now fullyqualified to fly an aeroplane. In fact his firstsolo flight was taken two weeks after hissixteenth birthday.

For as long as he remembers he has had anambition to become a commercial pilot soit comes as no surprise that he choseNetherfield Airfield near Worksop as hiswork experience placement. When heleaves Tuxford Post 16 Centre, he hopesto go to Oxford Aviation Academy to turnhis ambition into reality.

The only family connection that Alex hasto flying is that his father was in the RAFduring the Second World War - as amechanic. Alex too learned a little about

how planes worked during his work experience, but also was given theopportunity to go up for a flight as a passenger.

He made enquiries about gaining his licence and was offered a trial flight from GamstonAirfield. “It was brilliant - and I would recommend it to anyone,” he remembers. “Youget the chance to fly over your house usually - and I went all the way to the HumberBridge and back.”

Since his first flight at the controls in July 2010, Alex has logged his flying hours becauseflying experience is a major element in qualifying for the licence. He had to complete45 hours in the air, three of which had to be experience of flying solo and five of whichhad to test his navigation skills. The plane he learned in was a Cessna 152 two seater.

Alex gains Pilot’s Licence

Another busy term...

Students from Gnienzno Liceum inPoland visited Tuxford as the return legof the Polish exchange. We are alreadyplanning next year’s exchange. A week inPoland for approximately £95! (The earlierwe book flights, the cheaper it should be.)This is a fantastic opportunity to gain aninsight into a friendly country withbeautiful cities and a rich history.

In a separate trip, two students wereable to take part in the Lessons fromAuschwitz project in which they visitedthe infamous concentration camp. Thisis a scheme run by the HolocaustEducational Trust.

A group of Post 16 students produced thisyear’s excellent Tuxford’s Got Talentcontest. Weeks of planning and auditionsdemonstrated the fantastic leadershipskills of many of our students.

Many students are already receivingoffers from universities. They areworking hard to ensure they achieve therequired number of points. Severalstudents have also been successful inbeing accepted on to apprenticeships.

Head of Post 16 Paul Simpson has beenimpressed in recent weeks by thenumber of students who are clearlyworking hard on their revision. Startingearly, “little and often”, can help calmexam nerves, rather than leaving it to thelast minute. As ever, the support ofparents and carers is essential in thiscrucial time.

The ‘Share Wars’ competition open to allPost 16 students at Tuxford Academy andNational Church of England Academy inHucknall, is a brilliant opportunity to findout more about trading shares. It issponsored by Clarke Associates ofEdwinstowe. The students had to apply inwriting and shortlisted students were theninterviewed by Ian Clarke of the company.

The competition ran for eight weeks withthe students trading a ‘virtual’ £100,000 inFTSE 350 companies. We had four teams

of two students in each at Tuxford andthere were three teams of two atNational. Each week representatives fromClarke Associates went to the schools tomeet with the teams. The leaderboardswere given out each week and informationgiven about things that had happenedduring the week or were likely to happenin the coming week that would affect themarkets and share prices. Students couldmake as many trades as they wished duringthat time, although they could only buy amaximum of £15,000 shares in any onecompany.

Joe Heathcote and Charlie Eatoughfrom Tuxford, emerged as winners by a

Tuxford student plays

netball for Lincoln City

DALP ‘Share Wars’

competition success

Important Year 12 dates

Formal lessons for Year 12 students ended onFriday 18th May 2012, except for students onBTEC courses. However, lessons start againon Monday 18th June when ‘A2’ courses willstart; attendance at these lessons is one ofthe conditions for a place on the A2 coursein September. University and vocationalcareers preparation begins with a series ofsessions on Fridays. It is an expectation thatstudents attend these sessions.

School will end on Friday 13th July forstudents not on the University of East Angliatrip and on Thursday 19th July for studentswho are on the University of East Anglia trip.

We advise that all students continue tostudy all subjects until their examinationresults are known.

Page 7: Tuxford Topics issue 72

narrow margin. Despite difficult marketconditions they managed to increase their£100,000!

They each received £300 as a prize:£150 in cash and £150 as shares ina company of their choice. CharlieEatough commented, “I thoroughlyenjoyed my time during ShareWars and I am very interested inpursuing a career in the sharemarket after taking part in thecompetition.”

Joe Heathcote also valued theexperience. He said, “I wouldlike to use the knowledge learnt

in carrying out future transactions in thestock market”.

A voice of distinction

Reaching Grade 8standard in musicis, roughly speaking,the practical skillsequivalent of anA level for anyonestudying an instrumentor singing. You don’tgain Grade 8 unlessyou are both talentedand dedicated. That iswhy we are delighted

to record that Olivia Caputa of Year 13 hasjust gained Grade 8 recognition forsinging. In fact she did better than thatbecause it was awarded with Distinction.This is an incredible achievement by

Olivia so everyone at school isimmensely proud of her.

Olivia started having singinglessons in school at the age of 12and she has just completed her ALevel course which included a finalrecital as well as a large element ofperformance throughout.

At 13 she auditioned for the famousCantamus Girls Choir that is basedin Mansfield and was accepted intothe training choir. She is now seniorgirl in the main choir and so everyFriday and Sunday she has a threehour rehearsal and in addition shehas an hour lesson with a singingteacher. There are just under 40 girlsin the choir and Olivia has a few solospots in a repertoire that is alwayschanging.

The Cantamus Girls Choir has aninternational reputation so during her

time with it Olivia has performed inMalaysia, Singapore, Germany and Ireland.The performance venues are invariablylarge concert halls.

Olivia is a mezzo soprano at present, buther voice won’t set until the age ofapproximately 25 so it could change. Thatis one of the reasons why she intends totake a gap year before progressing tohigher education. She hopes to join aLondon music conservatoire, such as theRoyal Academy of Music, rather than goingto university, and her voice will havematured a little further by the time shestarts her course. She will audition formusic colleges in the autumn.

At the end of her studies, Olivia hopes tobecome a professional opera singer. Sheis taking A Levels in Drama and English aswell as Music to help prepare her for theacting side of the job. You will get yourchance to hear Olivia sing on 12th, 13thand 14th July when she takes part in theTuxford Academy summer production‘We Will Rock You’.

7Tuxford Topics

Alex says he will alwaysremember his first solo flight. “I was excited yetshaking with fear at the same time,” he recalls. His instructor had advised himthat he was ready to take this big step, but Alex wasn’t so sure. However everythingwent well and Alex’s confidence grew. “I hadn’t expected the plane to handle sodifferently when I was alone,” he says. “With less weight on board it was much fasteroff the ground and the controls were more responsive.”

To gain his licence Alex has taken and passed seven theory exams. His average scorewas an impressive 93%. The pass score is 75%.

gymnast so she has built her strength,speed and stamina. She needs all threebecause she plays as a centre and so doesmuch of the running during games.

As team captain Jade has to arrange matchesand umpires because netball is a fiercelyamateur sport. The training sessions arenow held at Priory Witham Academy. Allplayers are under 20 but there is never ashortage of players and many LincolnUniversity undergraduates apply to join.

At Tuxford Jade is one of the school’ssports leaders so she coaches Year 7students as part of her work for HSLA(Higher Sports Leader Award). She is

committed to coaching disabled and olderpeople to give her a breadth ofexperience. Thanks to placements at StGiles School, Retford, and the CharlotteHamilton Dance School, Balderton she ismaking good progress towards thequalification.

As paid employment, Jade is a lifeguard atGrove Leisure Centre, Balderton. Shecurrently works all day on Sundays andTuesday evenings. If everything goesaccording to plan, Jade will be teachingPE in a secondary school in future.Netball will continue to have a place inthe curriculum if she has anything to dowith it.

Page 8: Tuxford Topics issue 72

On Wednesday 28th March a group of

Year 9 and 10 girls attended the North

Notts Community Arena in Worksop in

order to take part in the ‘Sewhat’ fashion

show. This is the ninth year of the show

organised by Focus on Young People in

Bassetlaw and Tuxford has been

represented at each one. Young people

from twelve different schools, colleges,

and other young people’s organisations

from all over Bassetlaw showed off

garments and creations they have

produced.

The Tuxford group arrived at about

4.00pm in time to have a practice on

the catwalk aided by professional

choreographer Jay Pollit. After much

straightening and curling of hair and

applying of makeup, everyone was ready.

The show began at 7.30pm and was

presented by students from North Notts

College.

Tuxford students gave two performances.

The first showcased garments made by

Year 10 and Year 11 students and the

second featured a mixture of Year 11

GCSE and Year 13 GCE coursework. The

show was watched by an audience of

around 300 people and was well received

by all who attended.

The girls involved were Meghan Dyer,Jemma Whitby, Chloe Gresswell,Kayleigh Lowe, Tempany Johnson,Roberta Harness, Hannah Slack,Olivia Timms, Elisia Seaward,Amelia Wood, Georgie Pilkingtonand Charlotte Allen.

8 Tuxford Topics

Sewhat Fashion Event

PTA annual quiz gets great results

On Saturday 28th January, 16 teams with

almost 80 participants took part in

Tuxford Academy’s annual Quiz evening

organised by the PTA. The quiz was held

in the school hall with Quiz Master

Mr Philip Baker, Assistant Principal,

assisted on the scoreboard by Paul

Creighton, the school’s Data Manager.

A tasty supper was provided by Julie

Hethershaw and a team of willing PTA

helpers.

The evening was a great success and

raised £590 which goes into PTA funds

and staff and students can apply for

funding for projects. The main objectives

of the PTA are to give practical support

for school events, to undertake

fundraising to improve school resources

and to organise social events to bring

parents, staff and governors together.

Please see the school website in the

‘Parent Portal’ section for PTA news,

forthcoming events, etc.

Page 9: Tuxford Topics issue 72

9Tuxford Topics

Jubilee Arts Project

The latest collaboration between Tuxford

Academy and Rufford Craft Centre has

been themed on the Queen’s Diamond

Jubilee. Gifted and talented Year 9 students

have been given the opportunity to work

alongside James Sutton, the local sculptor

and practitioner, to create works in a 3D

media.

In order to generate initial responses

Tuxford students and teachers met

Mr Sutton to delve into a range of ideas

for the topic. Over the following ten

weeks project the students gained

valuable knowledge from the artist and

improved their ability to work in a team.

Their journey from initial ideas to

completion enabled them to be more

ambitious with the scale of their work and

also knocked down fears and barriers

about working in a 3D medium.

The Jubilee Arts Project exhibition

showcases a range of different ideas

ranging from the traditional to the kitsch.

It runs at Rufford Arts and Craft Centre

to Sunday 10th June.

In school Beth Platford enjoys Maths

and Science. She would love to go into

science research and help to develop

medicines for a big multi-national

pharmaceutical company.

Out of school Beth is a dancer, performer

and athlete. She is a member of Worksop

Light Operatic Society and has appeared in

its pantomimes since she was 8. In January

this year, she played Maid Marion in the

Society’s production of Babes in the Wood.

Beth attends Rebecca’s Dance Studio in

Carlton-in-Lindrick four times a week. On

Saturdays she is a student dance teacher

there working with juniors and toddlers.

Among the venues where Beth has

performed are Buxton Opera House and

Blackpool Opera House.

In 2010 Beth was chosen by Adidas to

appear in its launch show for Worksop

Adizone, one of several outdoor gyms

being sponsored by the company all over

the country. Climbing walls, parallel bars

and all kinds of non-powered fitness

equipment are provided to encourage

more people to become fit so the

company hired a top choreographer to

work with local dancers for the launch.

Beth is developing her athletics skills as a

member of Worksop Harriers. Last year

she was ranked as 8th in the country for

her age group in triple jump, but she also

competes in long jump, hurdles and running

events to 400m. In March of this year, she

competed in the East Midlands Area Indoor

Athletics Championship and was placed

2nd overall in the Under 15 girls age range.

Beth dances for Adidas

Beth pictured (above, at front) with fellowdancers

Contact Tuxford Academy PTA on: Email:

[email protected] Tel: 01777 870001

By popular

demand...

TuxfordAcademy

PTA

Wine TastingEvening

Over 18’s onlyTickets£12.50

Saturday6th

October

7.00pm

Page 10: Tuxford Topics issue 72

10 Tuxford Topics

Olivia wins Tuxford’s Got Talent

Following a heartfelt and powerfulperformance of the Jessie J song ‘Who YouAre’ Year 8 student Olivia Bennett wasvoted the winner of Tuxford’s Got Talent2012 at the Final held on Tuesday 27th March.

This year, the annual talent competition wasorganised by Year 13 student Grace Cookand a small group of Post 16 helpers. The

competition, based on the popular televisionformat, began in October last year withopen auditions, in which surprising talentwas discovered from all year groups. At thesemi finals in February, the acts performed infront of their peers before the final 12 werechosen. This year the finalists were allmusicians, singers or dancers. A trickunicyclist experienced technical difficultiesso didn’t go through and there was anoticeable lack of comedians and jugglers.Singers mostly had taped backing tracks.

The audience attending the Final had alarge student presence. The panel ofjudges comprised Nick Cox Head ofDrama, Year 12 student Harlee Howarthand former student, Oscar Conlon-Morrey. Each judge gave the finalistsfeedback on their performance and at theend, the audience members were able tocast three votes by completing votingslips. The slips were then counted toreveal the winner. Some of the audience

came with banners, stickers and badges insupport of a performer. They booed MrCox’s bad jokes but otherwise, everyoneon stage felt encouraged and supported.

The evening was compèred by charismaticPost 16 students Andrew Newell and RuthColclough, a fabulous combination, talentedenough to challenge Ant n Dec themselves!

During the counting of votes, performanceswere given by compère Ruth Colclough, whosang a wonderful rendition of ‘Somebody ToLove’ from the musical ‘We Will Rock You’which the school will be performing inJuly, and Harlee Howarth, one of thecompetition’s judges, played her guitar andsang ‘Stronger Than Me’ by Amy Winehouse.Tuxford members of the Global StudentForum also sold refreshments during the

interval to raise money for the White RibbonAlliance, a charity helping with maternalmortality in the third world.

Olivia had no idea she was going to win. Shewas not confident at all and she was soimpressed by the others that she was certainthey would do better than her. Before shewent on stage, she was really nervous andtearing paper cups to stay occupied. As shewalked on and saw all the faces, she wastrembling but when the introduction musicstarted, the confidence returned and shewas relaxed enough to notice hersurroundings. Olivia saw someone eating anapple. At the end someone winked at her toindicate she had done well. Halfway throughthe song she had stomach pains and heldherself but no-one seemed to notice.

Olivia was given £100 for winning plus£100 to give to her chosen charity,‘Leukaemia Research, Sheffield.’ Runnersup were Year 8 student Theo Drabble who

sang ‘Soul Sister’ by Train and in third placewas Year 12 student Cameron Ashley, whoplayed his guitar and sang a montage ofsongs including the classic ‘Ain’t NoSunshine’. Jack Bennett, Olivia’s brotheralso entered and also got to the final.

Nick Cox, school’s head of Drama, praised allthe finalists. “It was a truly amazing night andeveryone deserved a place in the spotlight.”

“It was a brilliant night - well worth the £5”commented Emily Dutton, Y8 student.

Councillor Kath Sutton was in the audienceand gave us her impression:

“Tuesday 27th March saw a lively and packedaudience waiting with some anticipation forTuxford’s Got Talent to begin. We were not

disappointed! Senior students had organiseda smooth running and well balanced eveningwith two most able compères, three trulyentertaining judges - with Simon Cowell ‘badguy’ counteracting the comments of the twomore discerning judges.

“Talent ranged from singers to a dancer,to body popping, a flautist and guitars. Attimes it was magical with a hushedaudience enthralled by the artist. At timesthe audience showed its sensitivity inencouraging a student whose confidenceappeared to wane. There was a delightfulatmosphere full of fun and laughter - areal feel good factor evening.

“Voting was hectic but finally three mostworthy winners were chosen, though intruth all the students were winners withtheir sincerity, commitment and with thepleasure they gave everyone.

“I look forward to the next such evening!”

Above, left to right: Winner of Tuxford’s Got Talent: Olivia Bennett, Year 8; runner up Theo Drabble, Year 8; and third place Cameron Ashley,Year 12. Inset, top right: the panel of judges.

Page 11: Tuxford Topics issue 72

For two days during February half termthe Drama department took 50 GCSEand A Level students to London.However, there was no time forsightseeing as we had so much to cram in!The trip was designed to offer students

the opportunity not only to experienceprofessional live theatre, but also to workwith professional actors and gain afurther insight into how a West Endproduction is staged. As always, Tuxfordstudents were impeccable and represented

the Academy proudly.

We travelled to London on Wednesday15th February and in no time at all wefound ourselves at the world famousPineapple Dance Studios for a practicalworkshop with some real West Endactors! Students and staff worked withthree actors currently playing the leadroles in the hit musical ‘Blood Brothers’. Itwas a fantastic experience and studentscan now say they have worked withprofessional actors! After an evening mealat Planet Hollywood we made our way tothe Phoenix Theatre to watch the long-running musical ‘Blood Brothers’.

The following day after a good old full-English, we made our way to the NationalTheatre for a back-stage tour. Studentsgained an invaluable insight into how aproduction is created and were also able togo into workshops and prop stores to see allthe elements required to bring a show to life.

After some shopping time and lunch inCovent Garden we went to see thetheatrical version of ‘War Horse’. Bothstaff and students were in awe of thespecial effects and staging of the show andwould thoroughly recommend it!

11Tuxford Topics

On the Tuesday 28thFebruary DermotGascoyne visited theschool to talk to Year11 students. As aformer internationalheavyweight boxerhe made rapidprogress winningnumerous titles asan amateur before

signing as a professional fighter with thecountry’s leading manager and promoterFrank Warren. Although he never won aprofessional title he holds victories overBritish, Commonwealth and EuropeanChampions, the most prestigious of which

was his victory over the British Championthat took just 70 seconds!

In his five year career as a professionalDermot boxed in some of the world’smost prestigious venues and was regularlyemployed as a sparring partner byamongst others Frank Bruno and LennoxLewis. Following his retirement from thesport he spent some time as a bodyguardworking with some of the world’s mostfamous pop stars! 

Dermot now works as a mentor and visitssecondary schools. In Tuxford he gave amotivational talk to some of our Year 11students in preparation for their

upcoming exams. His motto is ‘It is betterto try and fail, than to fail to try’. Thestudents thoroughly enjoyed listening toDermot and had plenty of questions forhim at the end! Miss Leathem-Pugh,Head of Beech College, said of thepresentation, “Dermot gave a veryinspiring talk to the Year 11 students. Hisdrive and encouragement will help to spurthe students on to achieve their fullpotential over the next couple of months.”

Making the most of his time at the schoolDermot also gave a short presentation tosome of the Support Staff covering topicssuch as ways to engage students and howto deal with challenging behaviour.

Drama Residential 2012

Former International Boxer talks to Year 11 students

Three days of physics during the Easterbreak? Most students probably wouldn’tthink of this as fun, but four Tuxfordstudents had a good time taking part inthe 2012 Extreme Physics Competitionrun by the Institute of Physics.

William Chapman, Isaac Higgs, JosephWatson and Declan Williams competedagainst rival schools from across theregion in Rugby. Highlights of the threedays residential included an indoor skydiving experience and climbing walls!

Talks in the evenings from top physicistsoutlined current university research inastrophysics as well as the developmentof non-lethal weapons such as Tasers.

Our team was marked during its series ofchallenges and awards were given at theend of each. Achieving a total of eightrosettes, our team’s most notableattributes were their superb teamworkand creativity in tackling problems. Thiswas clearly demonstrated in the climax ofthe event, where teams delivered a four

minute presentation on a physics topicassigned to them. Not only did they worksuperbly together but also produced oneof the best presentations on the day. Thiswas even more impressive consideringthat our team contained three Year 9swho had one year less physics educationthan most competitors.

Overall, the team of 2012 representedtheir school well. They were fantasticexamples of all the students here andcame back with awards to be proud of.

Extreme Physics Residential

Page 12: Tuxford Topics issue 72

12 Tuxford Topics

Elle Hawley 9BTT, spent six days of her

Easter holiday walking the West Highland

Way in Scotland to raise money for

charity. Twenty eight

members of her family or

their friends walked at

least part of the route,

but only six including Elle

completed the full

distance.

The walk was organised

by Elle’s grandfather,

Geoff Supple, in support

of a cancer charity

because his brother

died from cancer. A

remarkable total of

£6,000 was raised.

The walkers stayed overnight in local

B and Bs and whenever possible, they

enjoyed pub lunches, but in between

there was some serious trekking. They

averaged 16 miles per day although actual

distances varied between 13 and 23 miles.

“It rained most days,”

recalled Elle, “and on the

day it didn’t rain, it

snowed!”

The route is clearly

marked and is dry

underfoot but the snow

made the route much

harder to follow. It was

also deep in places so the

effort of walking was

much harder.

Elle is justly proud of

her achievement in

completing the trek - and she is proud of

the family for making a significant

contribution to its chosen charity.

On Thursday 23rd February Year 8 “gifted

and talented” students took part in team

tasks including bridge building at

Gainsborough. One of the students,

Thomas Boulby, wrote this report for

Tuxford Topics:

All in all it was fun and a worthwhile

educational trip out for us all. We got a chance

to socialise with the students from different

schools as well taking part in the events.

Our first task was to create an invention

that would change the world. Different

groups came up with great ideas. Our

invention was a 3D printer. After making

it we had to present it to our audience.

After this we were told about our next

task... bridge building! It sounded difficult

but after lunch we started building our

model bridge. I am pleased to report that

within half an hour it was made!

Gifted and Talented

Challenge

We were very pleased to receive the followingmessage from four Polish students whoattend our partner school, Gniezno Lyceum:

We are members of English exchange.

Our English friends came to Poland on

13th October 2011 and everybody here

was very excited. Their first day was on

our official National Day of Education. In

the evening, we all went to Gebarzewo to

get to know everyone better and eat

some good sausages.

During their time here, we showed our

English friends a few interesting places in

our country. We saw a museum and

churches in Poznań. We were in Toruń and

there we baked gingerbreads and saw a big

part of this town. We went to Inowroclaw

too and there we had good fun. Our

friends also came to our school and were

taking part with us in Polish lessons.

It was really good fun having guests in

Poland and we have a lot of memories

connected with this visit.

On 5th March we came to England. In

Newark, we saw a horror film called ‘The

Woman in Black’. We saw the old town hall

and a great museum where we got to know

a lot about the history of this town. Next

day we went to London. The capital of

England is really beautiful. We visited the

Natural History Museum and Science

Museum. It was a really long day, but we saw

a big part of this old city. In Tuxford School

we went to a few lessons. They were very

interesting and we enjoyed it a lot.

For us this exchange is a really good

opportunity to improve our English and it

busts myths. It is good to get to know a

new culture. We were trying new tastes,

learning new words and just having fun

being in the United Kingdom. Best wishes

to you all.

Katarzyna Kabzińska, ZuzannaLukaszewska, Pauline Kabzińska andFabian Barszcz

A Polish Perspective

Elle walks 95 miles!

Page 13: Tuxford Topics issue 72

13Tuxford Topics

For further information, please visit theFutures website: www.futuresnn.co.uk

or contact: 0115 960 1571

If your son/daughter would like todo a work placement during theschool holidays, then Futures will

be able to offer this provision.

Their offer of a 10 day Work Experience

placement at a cost of £150 will include:

• A full Health and Safety and

safeguarding risk assessment of

the placement

• A risk assessment of the young

person undertaking the

placement

• Ensuring that the necessary

insurance is in place

• Monitoring of welfare and

progress during the placement

• A Certificate of Achievement,

endorsed by the employer

A new peer mentoring scheme starts at

Tuxford Academy in September. This will

involve students in Years 10 and 11 acting as

mentors to some of the new Year 7 students

- to support them with issues such as bullying,

arguments with friends or other things that

may be troubling them. Some research into

the peer mentoring is going to be carried out

by Caroline Haynes as part of her training to

be an educational psychologist.

As part of this research students in Years

9 and 10 may be asked to complete a

short online survey about their personal

qualities during ICT lessons. Caroline may

also look at some data the school has

about individual children, such as their

predicted grades and whether they are

eligible for free school meals.

The data will be used by Caroline to identify

students to take part in the research

project. You will be contacted if your child is

selected to take part. If for any reason you

do not wish Caroline to use the information

from the survey, or if you have any questions

about the research, please contact Mrs

Nichol or Mrs Burton at school.

New mentoring

scheme Work Experience as an educational

entitlement for all older (Key Stage 4)

students has now ended due to changes in

the national education strategy.

Consequently Year 11 work experience will

not be taking place next year (2012/13).

At Tuxford we have always valued work

experience as preparation for working

life. There is little doubt that at its best a

work placement helped students to clarify

their thoughts of career prospects and

contributed significantly to the maturing

process. We will continue to offer a small

number of placements to selected

students only but the re-branded careers

service is also offering parents the

opportunity to purchase work

experience during school holidays too.

Please see the advert in this edition of

Tuxford Topics if you are interested.

Michelle Lee of the school support staff

deserves some recognition at this point.

She has done a tremendous job over the

last eight years in arranging placements,

completing all the administration (to

satisfy health and safety regulations to

name but one aspect) and coordinating

staff supervision.

Work week goes

In February we ran an English Curriculum

Day where students across KS3 worked

with their learning group on a variety of

activities with a media focus. Groups

became publishing houses for the day,

editing and creating their own magazines,

writing features, conducting interviews

and designing their publications. Special

guest was former Tuxford student, Sam

Kirk who now hosts the breakfast show

on Lincs FM. He visited classes and helped

Charlie Ferris, Georgina MacPhail and

Annie O’Connell (pictured, above, with

him here) to prepare and record a radio-

style piece on the day’s events. You can

listen to their piece on the school

website.

Last term too, we entered a team in the 2012

Times Spelling Bee; an activity now in its third

year. The Year 7 students competed against

other schools in the Midlands in March and

they met once a week to practise. Anyone

interested in improving core skills can visit

www.timesspellingbee.co.uk to practise

online.

Students from Years 8, 9 and 10 have been

working in a series of workshops in

preparation for the regional heat of

‘Shake the Dust’, a national ‘poetry slam’

competition. A core group of 20 students

completed 6 workshops last term with

professional poets Michelle Hubbard and

Ioney Smallhorne. They created their own

unique poems with an Olympic theme.

The final team of 8 has now been

selected; on Saturday 9th June it will

compete against other groups from the

East Midlands at Nottingham Playhouse

for a spot in the final in London. They will

present three original poems. Michelle

Hubbard, the lead poet at the workshops

was impressed by the Tuxford students:

“We have been amazed at the students’

creativity, enthusiasm and commitment!”

The photo (above, right) shows poet Ioney

Smallhorne with some members of the team

(left to right) Martha Raymer, Charlotte

Brindley,Amy Chambers, Oliver Baker, Michelle

Hubbard, Isaac Higgs, and Charlie Ferris.

Work Experience

Offer

English Faculty News

Page 14: Tuxford Topics issue 72

Across the country over 63,000 students

were entered for the Delancy Challenge

in 2012. They represented 1900 primary

schools, secondary schools or clubs.

Several players were entered by Tuxford

and there were some notable successes.

In the first round of the competition

players from within the school were

matched against each other. They had to

play seven games in seven weeks to decide

their rankings. Elliot Lewis (pictured

here) was awarded a trophy after

emerging as winner of the first round. He

and Dominic Eng of Year 8 won all seven

of their matches.

Since the report in the last edition the

Extended Services team has helped to

raise more money for our feeder primary

schools.

• East Markham Primary has

received £7,800 from Big Lottery

for 10 laptops and the setting up of

an ICT Homework club.

• Muskham Primary has received

£500 towards new playground

equipment from Lincolnshire Co-op.

The team is currently working on a bid for

ICT equipment for North Clifton School.

The family of schools is finalising a plan

for celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee in

June. Activities will be different for each

school, but ideas include red, white and

blue non-uniform days, and Jubilee badges

or t-shirts to be given out to the children.

14 Tuxford Topics

TFC Update

Delancy Chess

Challenge

Have you visited the Tuxford Family

Collaboration website recently?

The Extended Services Team based at

Tuxford Academy is responsible for

keeping it up to date. You will discover

lots of information on our Family of

Schools, activities/clubs, parenting

support, community information and

childcare.

The website address is:

www.tuxfordfamily.co.uk

For further information call Nicola

Manning, Extended Services Coordinator

on 01777 870001, Ext 571.

TFC Website

Matt Riley, Year 12 and Emma Wray,Year 13 visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, the

infamous concentration camp, in

February. Alongside students from other

East Midlands’ schools they were taking

part in the Holocaust Educational

Trust’s Lesson’s From Auschwitz project.

Prior to the trip they attended an

orientation seminar where Holocaust

survivor Ziggy Fisher spoke to

them about overwhelming personal

experiences so very different from their

own.

“The vast camp where 10,000 people

were methodically killed each day was

almost impossible to take in,” Emma told

us. “Stark chimneys from burnt out

barracks, standing like a lifeless forest,

somehow emphasised the unfathomable

crimes that took place.”

Both students remarked on the paradox

that their complete lack of

comprehension of events somehow

increased their understanding of how

horrific the holocaust was. Being there

made it not only more real, but also

more personal. Emma explained that

she was more aware that systematic

killings have continued to occur in the

modern world - in Bosnia and in Darfur

to name just two. She felt that she now

had a firm conviction to speak out: “We

should endeavour to help those,

who, like Ziggy, have had to endure

oppression.”

Lessons from

Auschwitz Golf Charity Day

Contact Tuxford Academy PTA on: Email:

[email protected] Tel: 01777 870001

18 holes of golf•

Prize Presentation•

Tea/coffee & bacon rolls•

Executive Buffet

Wednesday 11th July2012 at

Rufford Golf andCountry Club

£40 per player

4 players per team

Page 15: Tuxford Topics issue 72

One hundred competitors from each of the

three schools in DALP will take part in the

first joint Sports Day on Tuesday 17th July.

Retford Oaks Academy is to host the event

this year. Athletics competitions will take

place in the afternoon whilst the morning

will be devoted to fun competitions such as

tug of war, rounders and boccia.

The Diverse Academies Learning

Partnership aims not only to promote an

enjoyment of sport across member schools,

but also to give the students an opportunity

to build a sense of community and to

celebrate being part of the same innovative

educational enterprise.

15Tuxford Topics

Diary Dates

JUNE 2012

04 - 08 Half term holiday

11 Y8 residential to Paris

15 Y7 Trip to Lincoln

18 - 22 Y10 Academic Tutorials

18 Y12 ‘A2’ courses start

19 PTA meeting in school - 6.30pm

28 Y11 Prom/P16 Prom

29 Sports Day

29 Tuxford Academy PTA Summer Ball in school: 7.30pm - 11.30pm

30 P16 Reunion

JULY 2012

02 - 06 Y6 Transition week

02 Y6 parents meeting

05 P16 Induction day

06 Year 8 Trip to Lincoln

11 PTA Charity Golf Tournament at Rufford Park Golf Club

12 - 14 School show‘We will Rock You’

15 - 18 Y7 camp

17 DALP Sports Festival

16 - 19 Y12 UEA residential

20 Last day of term

SEPTEMBER 2012

03 Admin day - no students in school

04 Yrs 7, 11 & 12 in school first day of new term (Y12 course sign up)

05 All students in school (Y13 course sign up)

14 School photos

19 Friendship photos

27 Open Evening

28 Inset day - all DALP schools

Tuxford Academy’s 2012 musical

production is the West End hit show ‘We

Will Rock You’. The musical, now in its

10th successful year, has recently enjoyed

an extensive UK tour as well as gaining a

number of theatrical awards.

Written by Ben Elton and based on the

music of the rock band Queen, it is set in the

future. Globalisation is complete, everywhere

the kids watch the same movies, wear the

same fashions and think the same thoughts.

It’s a safe, happy, Ga Ga world. Unless you’re

a rebel. Unless you want to Rock.

Students across all three key stages are

involved in the production and staff from

all areas of the Academy. Rehearsals are

currently underway and ‘We Will Rock

You’ promises to be our biggest and most

spectacular production to date!

Tickets are available now. To reserve tickets

complete the booking form from the school

website and email it to boxoffice@tuxford-

comp.notts.sch.uk. Payment can be made by

personal callers to main reception or by

post to Box Office, Tuxford Academy (at

the usual address) or by students leaving

sealed envelopes in trips boxes at college

receptions. Cheques should be payable to

Tuxford Academy.

Tuxford Academy Production 2012:

‘We Will Rock You!’

DALP Sports Day

Contact:[email protected]

Tel: 01777 870001

Tuxford Academy

SUMMER

BALLFri 29th June 2012

7.30pm until 11.30pm

held at Tuxford Academy

Tickets - £22.50

Dining

Dancing

BarRaffle

Marquee

In February Year

8 and Year 9

members of the

STEM (science,

technology,

eng ineer ing

and maths) Club

used a Curriculum

Day to make monster

versions of snack food. It

was a genuinely educational challenge to

scale up familiar products successfully to

several times their normal sizes - but

retaining the appearance and solving all

the associated technical issues.

In addition to the jammy dodger shown

here the members produced a gigantic

Jaffa cake and an enormous Wagon

Wheel. Food Technology teacher Mel

Hogan was very pleased with the

results: “What an achievement to

produce such authentic looking pieces

of outsize edible art! It was a very

enjoyable project and real technology

problems were solved using maths skills

and food science knowledge.”

A month later the jam biscuit was

featured on ‘Pimp That Snack’ website.

Mrs Hogan commented, “This is a huge

honour to those in the know.”

Visitors to the site were able to vote for

the snacks that impressed and there

was a lot of interest in Tuxford’s

‘jammiesaurus’.

Unfortunately we have no record of

how the jammy dodger tasted. Perhaps

the makers were so proud of it that they

couldn’t bear to try it.

What a biscuit!

Page 16: Tuxford Topics issue 72

Former Tuxford student Amy Needhamis making a name for herself in

women’s rugby. Amy, who was a

student here between 2005-2010, went

on to Moulton College, Northampton

for an AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship

in Sport Excellence) course and helped

Moulton to win the HSBC National

Sevens competition for schools and

colleges at Rosslyn Park - beating a

Welsh team.

Amy, who is about to embark on a

Sports degree course, was spotted at

the age of 14 by a community coach at

Tuxford School whilst playing tag

rugby and recommended to join a

rugby club. She briefly joined Retford

Rugby Club and then went on to join

Paviors Rugby Club in Arnold. She

soon received her Three Counties

call-up and went on to be chosen

for the Midlands division. In

April 2011, she was asked

to trial for England U20’s

squad so her big break

had arrived.

Unfortunately, in a

friendly match, she

broke her fibula,

dislocated her

ankle and tore a

ligament in her

leg which meant

two operations

so it wasn’t the

break she

wanted! She

was determined

to get back

playing and by

October she was.

In January this

year, she was

selected for England

U20’s squad for a

match in Paris on Sunday

11th March. Amy went on

the pitch 5 minutes into the

second half and played for 35 minutes

getting her first cap for the England

U20’s.

On Saturday 12th May, she went to the

England trials for 2012-2013 and

hopefully she will play for England for

the whole year. She is the only girl

this year from Three Counties, only

one of two from the Midlands division,

to be selected for the England U20’s

squad.

Amy loved her time at Tuxford School

and would like to thank everyone who

taught and supported her during this

time. It was her dream to play rugby

and that dream is coming true.

16 Tuxford Topics designed and produced by dactyl publishing tel: 01427 884998 www.dactylpublishing.com

Former student plays for England

JANUARY

04 Inset Professional Development Day

09 Curriculum Day

25 A2 Progress Evening

28 Year 13 students Bag Pack at Asda

28 PTA Annual Quiz Evening

FEBRUARY

06 Year 9 Academic Tutorial Week

07 Student Forum Conference

09 Post 16 Curriculum Pathways Evening

09 Valentine Disco

23 Curriculum Day

23 Year 8 Gifted & Talented Trip

24 Primary Dance Festival

27 Year 11 Academic Tutorial Week

28 Dermot Gascoyne (former heavy weight boxer) speaks to Year 11 students

MARCH

01 World Book Day

05 Polish Exchange return

13 Year 11 Support Evening

28 Sewhat Fashion Event

Last Term in Brief

TuxfordAcademyExcellence Through

Teamwork

It is now possible to follow TuxfordAcademy on Twitter. The link is:

www.twitter.com/tuxfordacademy

Tuxford AcademyPresents...

12th - 14th July 2012