ISSUE 32 SPRING TERM 2021 - ISSUE 32 SPRING TERM 2021 - The Community College ...
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ISSUE 32 SPRING TERM 2021
The Community College
ISSUE 20 AUTUMN
32 SPRING TERM
TERM 2016
2021
Headteacher’s Welcome Message
The Covid19 testing routines were honed during the
lockdown period ready for the return of the school
population from 8th March. The testing routines we
have had in place have only been possible because
of the support of a small army of community
volunteers who have given their time to carry out
the testing for 2 hours every weekday morning. If it
wasn’t for them the disruption to teaching and
classroom provision would have been even greater
due to the need to use more school personnel to
staff the testing areas. I cannot thank them
enough.
Mr Reuben Thorley Now that the students are starting to settle into the
Headteacher “normal” daily routines in school you can see how
resilient and flexible children can be under
challenging circumstances, it never ceases to amaze
Everyone has now gone through a full year with me. It will be this resilience mixed with a dash of
Covid19 impacting on our lives in some way. The understanding that will get us all through to the end
disruption to our students’ daily routines in of the current situation. We all look forward to the
education has been significant and the whole time when things can return to a more normal
community, including staff and parents, have routine over the next few months with the removal
of national restrictions. We hope that this will be at
worked hard throughout to try and keep this to the some point during the summer term.
minimum.
This term has very much been “a game of two
halves”, with the first half being delivered through
remote learning whilst maintaining the in-school
provision for Key Workers and Vulnerable students,
and the second half seeing the return of all students
to school whilst the rest of the population was still
in lockdown. Mr R Thorley
I am immensely proud of both the staff and
Headteacher
students for the way they responded during the
lockdown. With the government’s announcement of
schools closing to the majority of students on the
first day of term in January the staff turned around
their planning from in-school teaching to remote
learning at the drop of a hat. The in-school
provision was in place quickly along with the
introduction of Covid19 testing, something that the
school was only informed about on the last day of
term in December.
The engagement of students in the remote learning
provision was excellent throughout, and we
supported those who were having difficulties by
bringing them into school to access support with
the Key Workers’ children. The in-school provision
during this time was far in excess of the national
average for secondary schools with 17% of the
student population being supported in school during
the lockdown (the national average for secondary
schools was 6%).
PAGE 2
To succeed...To care...To inspire
Hi, I am Mr Willoughby and I have joined The Community College in January
as the new Deputy Headteacher. It has been something of a surreal start at a
new school, with periods of lockdown, new one-way systems to learn and my
first meeting with a lot of students involving them testing themselves for
COVID. I can certainly say that one of the challenges of starting any new job
is learning hundreds of new names’, the added complexity of doing this whilst
everyone is wearing masks has made it somewhat interesting, I am certainly
looking forward to a time when I can learn what everyone looks like.
One of my main aims within my role is to see every student reach the best
outcomes they can in their time with us, whether that be through strong exam
results, participation in wide ranging extra-curricular activities, or through
development of good personal characteristics and morals. I look forward to working with students,
families, teachers, and the local community on this shared goal.
Over the previous months, many people have gone out of their way to offer me a warm welcome to the
College, both from within the school and from the local community and this really has made for such a
welcoming feel. I have really enjoyed since starting, seeing how the strong community ethos, good
manners, and a powerful sense of supporting each other is part of the culture within the students,
families, and staff.
I look forward to working with all students, families and staff and look forward to shared success for all.
Mr I Willoughby
Deputy Headteacher
PAGE 3
To succeed...To care...To inspire
Year 7 – Theme Park Design
Would you like to visit a theme park that is science themed? How
about the ‘House of Unsolved Mysteries’ ride?
Year 7 students were given the task of designing their own theme
park, with different themes and sections to entice their customers, as part of their functional writing
unit. We have been so impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm demonstrated by Year 7.
However, residents of a nearby village are about to complain about the plans to build this new theme
park. How are Year 7 students going to persuade the residents that it is a good idea?
Year 8 – Travel Writing
Do you miss being able to travel?
Year 8 have followed Karl Pilkington across China in one hilarious episode from
the TV series, ‘An Idiot Abroad’ and learnt about his cynical opinion on travelling.
Students are currently producing a travel leaflet, identifying their own opinions on
travel.
During remote learning, Year 8 have researched key attractions in
China, and they have even written their own section of a travel
guide, inspired by some of the activities Karl got up to during his
visit (e.g. Kung Fu).
Year 9 – ‘An Inspector Calls’
Who is most responsible? This is the question Year 9 were faced with during
remote learning as they continued their study of the morality play, ‘An
Inspector Calls’.
Taking on the role of the inspector, Year 9 have scrutinised
every character as they prepare to deliver their speech on
who is responsible for the death of Eva Smith.
PAGE 4
To succeed...To care...To inspire
Year 10 – Creative Writing
Did you know creative writing benefits our mental, emotional and
physical health?
We challenged Year 10 to express their creativity and discover their own writing style, through 200-
word writing challenges. Their mission? To use structural features for effect and frame their writing.
Zoe Davies
The room. The one I had built to carry out the making of the potions. No soul had stepped foot into
the lab. No soul had touched the delicately painted wall. No one had experienced any of the pain but
me. I picked up the potion and given in to temptation. The taste of the bitter liquid stuck in the back of
my throat. My bones weakened and my muscles ached. The monster that lived within me was
released, like light escaping into a dark room. The evil that lived within me had become visible for all to
see. The floorboards drew closer as I shrunk into the beast - the beast I tried to keep hidden away. As
I looked into the dirty window, I took a glimpse of my reflection: the wicked-looking beast with sharp
teeth. The room where I had created this potion was the only place that could free the evil within me.
This room.
Jacob Orme-Campbell
I sighed quietly as I watched from my window; dark clouds loomed above the town. The streets were
in a deplorable state: bins were tipped over, windows were shattered; car alarms were blaring. A group
of teenagers, all stood in a large, wall-like formation, stared at the crowd with a cold, unwelcoming
glance, showing no remorse for what they had done, or what they were about to do. Suddenly, out of
nowhere, a large horn could be heard - a bugle. The mob surged forward, charging towards the
innocent citizens... As usual, they all had an expression of irritation on their faces. As usual, they all
charged like knights in a battle. As usual, they all held their writing utilities like weapons. As usual, they
had all gone mad... I watched in horror as they rammed into the spectators, using whatever they could
to beat, hurt and damage them, physically and mentally, screaming in their faces as their fists pounded
against the watchers' faces. I could see cars behind them, citizens
obviously. They knew what would happen if they went down that street,
and wisely, they turned away, not wanting to be beaten like those poor
people in the streets were.
Gordon Henney
As usual, silent crows are vigilant as they observe the death and
destruction. As usual, a blur of screams can be heard from all around the humid city. As usual, the
scent of burning flesh overpowers the weak and helpless. As usual, mothers watch as their children are
shot down. However, this time it's different. Something has changed. I know it.
Pools of blood and entrails reflect the crimson clouds permeating the atmosphere as the sky bleeds
down onto the corrupt world. Only a faint memory remains. A faint memory of happiness.
I feel the sun's potent fury tear my mind apart as I cautiously make my way to the building. We will
soon be reunited; soon I will get to see the rest of them. Catching glimpse of a police patrol, I duck
into an alleyway. It's a dead end! Footsteps approach.
In particular, I was captivated
Mrs Midgley Recommends: by the two sisters who are
‘The Color Purple’ - Alice separated at an early age and
Walker. who write to each other for
years, not knowing if the other
will ever receive their letter,
but writing regularly,
'The Color Purple' is a novel that nonetheless.
deals with some hard issues, I would recommend this book
for KS4 readers and older, as
particularly gender equality and some aspects are quite adult. I
racism, but has key characters can't believe I've got to the
that you find yourself rooting ripe old age of 21 (ahem!)
for. before reading this - it's a
classic!!!
PAGE 5
To succeed...To care...To inspire
The Literacy Project
Led by Mr E Sharp
Despite the unusual circumstances of this academic
year, we are still working hard to promote a love of
reading amongst all students. Staff members across
the whole school are sharing their recommended
reads; space in the College News has also been
dedicated to promoting a range of
books that take students beyond the
curriculum and, most importantly,
we are working to develop and
promote the school library to meet
the wants and needs of students. On
that note, please allow me to re-
introduce Miss Oakley, who has now
taken over as school librarian.
Hi, I’m Miss Oakley and I have recently taken on the role of library administrator and cover supervisor
at The Community College.
My main aim within this role is to encourage reading for pleasure. I hope to
do this through inducing a range of new ideas into the library. This will
include introducing student reading leaders, who will have some
responsibility during break and lunchtimes, checking in and out books,
completing activities within the library and ultimately being the student voice
for the library.
I also hope to be able to work with the Student Senate as a whole in order
to gain feedback from students in order to ensure students’ experience in
the library is positive and as valuable to their learning as possible.
Working alongside the whole school literacy approach, over the next term we hope to launch the
‘golden ticket’ awards. Each week, a golden ticket will be attached to a set number of books. If as a
student, you check one of the books out with a golden ticket attached to it, return it and provide Miss
Oakley or Mr Sharp with a short review of the book, you will be awarded one of our golden ticket
reading prizes.
If you think you could rise to the challenge as a CCBC reading leader, keep a close eye out for
information from your learning coach on how you can apply after the Easter holidays.
PAGE 6
To succeed...To care...To inspire
Welcome to the Ministry of Maths
You ask, what is our aim?
We can answer in one word: it is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all, victory, however
long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no point.
We take up our task with buoyancy and hope, to feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail.
At this time, we feel entitled to claim the support of all, and say, “Come then, let us go forward
together with our united strength…”
Heroes is the sequel to
the book Mythos. The
book retells the stories of
Greek myths as only
Stephen Fry can. Not only
is it funny, you also get an
insight into the huge
influence these stories
have had over the ages
on the arts, science,
language and modern
culture.
PAGE 7
To succeed...To care...To inspire Well done to all our students for their incredible efforts in completing Distance Learning during the first half of the Spring Term. Year 7 have been studying the topic of Personal Information. Their Distance Learning included how to describe their physical appearance and personality, give information about siblings and say what they like and dislike with an opinion. To be able to do all of this well they learned the very important definite articles le, la and les. Year 8 have been studying the topic of Where I Live; which includes talking about your house, describing your bedroom, your town, and the places in town. They also learnt how to ask for, and give directions to, different places in town using à la, à l’, au and aux. Year 9 finished off the topic of Self and Family, by making PowerPoints about their own, or a fictional, family. Then they started the new topic of Food, learning all about different French meals; including le petit-déjeuner, le déjeuner à la cantine en France and le dîner. Year 10 started the topic of Lifestyle discussing w hat constitutes a healthy and an unhealthy lifestyle. This included talking about sport and leisure, healthy and unhealthy eating habits, smoking, drugs and alcohol. Some key grammar points covered were the perfect versus imperfect tense; plus, moins and aussi ...que to compare and the use of modal verbs pouvoir and devoir. Year 11 were incredibly busy, working on the topic of My Home, Town, Region and the Environment; and producing a piece of formally assessed work every week. They have built up an impressive portfolio of evidence of Distance Learning, which clearly shows the progress they have made since Christmas. We are confident that they can go further still, if they keep up the good work. Bravo à tous ! Vous êtes formidables ! Book Name: Le P etit P rince Author: Antoine de St. Ex upéry Recommended by Madame Hughes What's it about: Le Petit Prince, The Little Prince in English, is a novella by French aristocrat, writer, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. He wrote the words and illustrated the book with his own watercolours, during the Second World War. Some people understand it as a kind of science-fiction fairy tale that has both optimistic and pessimistic commentary on the future. Others see the ecological aspect of it since the little prince keeps his planet clean. It is an iconic French children's book, loved by all generations - grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. It's available in both the English translation, and the French original version. In 2015 a short animated film of the book was made, and you can listen to it being read aloud in French, on YouTube, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=cirSJjhTgmw PAGE 8
To succeed...To care...To inspire
El aprendizaje remoto = Remote learning
All Spanish groups continued learning Spanish successfully through video lessons/tutorials which meant
that they enjoyed a lot of listening and reading practice at their own learning pace. Video lessons gave
students control and an opportunity to stop the video and listen again and again, which is an important
part in language learning.
Each class received two or three video lessons a week and then completed online exercises which
measured their understanding of the week’s learning.
All work submitted was recorded as a final %.
There was a funny moment which happened on a video lesson for Year 9, when I asked students to
identify all the South American countries on map which appeared on screen and when it came to
sharing the answers I got the countries mixed up. ¡Qué mal! Oops!
This is an opportunity for me to thank students for all the hard work they completed and to report back
that I have improved my geographical knowledge of South America! ¡Por fin! (At last!)
Below is an outline of remote learning for each Year group:
Year 9: En la cafeteria y de vacaciones. Ordering in a café and talking about a holiday you
have been on using the past tense.
Year 10: Intereses e influencias. P ocket m oney, free tim e, m usic, sport, bullfighting,
flamenco and talking about people who inspire you.
Year 11: Mi vida en el insti. Talking about school subjects and teachers, school uniform ,
the school day, school rules and a school exchange to Zaragoza.
PAGE 9
To succeed...To care...To inspire
I am always absolutely blown
away by how our students
engage with remote learning -
the past few weeks have been
challenging to say the least.
These are just a few of the
many submissions I receive
from students responding to
the tasks set every week. A
huge thank you to you all for
continuing to support our
young people - you are all
amazing!!!
A great book that encourages you to
address the worries we all experience
especially in the current climate.
PAGE 10To succeed...To care...To inspire
Key Stage 3 Home Learning
Year 7 – Studied the topics Melodrama and Darkwood Manor. Students have developed their
understanding of the stock characters and created placards and costume designs to use in a silent
movie. We are now extremely glad to be back in the SpArc, developing the use of vocal skills in
performance.
Year 8 – As Year 8 students could not perform their pantomime scripts in January as hoped, we
focused on the role of the costume and set designer. They researched these job roles, designed a
costume and set for their own pantomimes and then brought their designs to life by making some
incredible shoe box theatres.
Year 9 – Studied Radio Drama and wrote their very own radio plays. They focused on an opening
scene to engage their audience, a climax scene using dramatic tension and a final scene using a cliff
hanger to encourage listeners to tune in again. Whilst making option choices, Year 9 students started
some GCSE content, researching backstage roles in the theatre.
Key Stage 4 Home Learning
Year 10 – Finished studying their set text ‘Blood Brothers’ and have been applying their knowledge
to written exam questions. Students have also been researching German theatre practitioner Bertolt
Brecht and are currently using some of his techniques in their Devising Drama component.
Year 11 – Year 11 have worked hard on their written coursework towards the Devising Drama
component and have been busy preparing for their written exam. It is so nice to see Year 11 drama
students back in the SpArc, rehearsing their scripted pieces for their upcoming exam.
Key Stage 4 students have enjoyed
reading sections of Stanislavski’s
‘An Actor Prepares’. We have
since experimented with many of his
acting methods in practical lessons.
PAGE 11To succeed...To care...To inspire
Dylan Muncey
(Year 7) shows how
to do a detailed
mind map and
fantastic storyboard!
Mr Sharp's Suggested Read:
Mythos, by Stephen Fry
Old stories, in a whole new light.
Stephen Fry brings his
trademark wit to his own
retelling of the most famous
Greek Myths. It covers all the old
favourites, as well as a few
forgotten ones, in a way which is
accessible and above all: fun! If
you like it, try out Heroes and
Troy (also by Fry).
Eloise Cornwell (Year
7) used real medieval
images to create her
storyboard.
Georgia Bucknall (Year
9) created a page that
described and
explained the success
of the Blitzkrieg tactic.
Sophia Birring (Year 8)
took some very detailed
Miranda Irsherwood (Year 7) created an notes on the Civil War,
immensely detailed mind map – worthy of showing some great
GCSE. presentation skills.
PAGE 12To succeed...To care...To inspire
To help embed their understanding of the GCSE course Year
10 have completed presentations for Fair Trade Fortnight
2021. Here are examples of some work completed. Shaylee
Longman (poster) and Katie Owen (PowerPoint).
PAGE 13To succeed...To care...To inspire
‘The Murder in the Park’ ‘The Vanishing’
By Abigail Williams By Grace Cooke
Year 10 Year 10
D4 C4
‘The Manchester Hitlist’
By Dylan Jones
Year 10
D4
PAGE 14To succeed...To care...To inspire
Paper 1 – Crime Dramas
As part of their course of study, Year 10 have been introduced to one of their set TV programmes,
‘Cuffs’ which aired on the BBC in 2015. As well as demonstrating knowledge of the set episode, Year
10 students are required to understand the features and conventions of a Crime TV series.
As a remote learning project, students designed their own Crime TV show,
demonstrating the conventions of the genre.
‘Killer in the Villa’
By Finley Clarke
Year 10
C4
Miss Jones Recommends:
‘Clementine and Ruby’ by Siobhan Curham
This book combines my two loves: English
and art.
In the text we are introduced to Rudy, a
street artist who creates thought
provoking pieces. Clementine is a poet,
who takes a photo of Rudy’s art and writes
a poem to accompany it, which she then
posts to Instagram.
The book explores new friendships,
different backgrounds and identifies how
social media can be used in a safe and
creative way.
PAGE 15To succeed...To care...To inspire
Welcome to Science
Another interesting and confusing term we have had! Once again I would like to say a huge
CONGRATULATIONS to all the students for their amazing hard work and perseverance during
lockdown. They have worked so hard under very difficult circumstances and yet have still managed to
produce some amazing pieces of work. Now we are back at College testing in many forms has begun.
The students have coped with COVID testing really well and Years 10 and 11 are in the middle of mock
exams. This year will be very different for Year 11 and they are certainly taking things very seriously. I
know their efforts will pay off.
By Kiera Watkins By Reuben Barker Jones
Year 8 Year 7
C2 D1
By Isabel Hall
Year 7
D1
By James Wakelam
Year 8
D2
During this term, Year 7 and 8 students will be entertained by
Severn Trent Water’s Super Sewage Sessions. During the
sessions, the students will learn about the sewage treatment
process and the environment and they will also touch upon
the water cycle and bio-resources. The presenters will also
include games and Q&A sessions for the students. It will be a
great opportunity for the students to learn what happens to
their bath water!
PAGE 16To succeed...To care...To inspire
Science department’s ‘Recommended read’ Reviewed by Charlie Pendleton, Year 8
A Thousand Perfect Notes. Author, C.G Drews
PAGE 17To succeed...To care...To inspire
Celebrating Home Schooling
Key Stage 4
Year 10 - Have been Year 11 - Have started their
working on the theory final piece of controlled
element of their course. assessment. They have to Year 7 - Have learnt about
Areas of focus include:- develop a Dashboard in Excel Computer hardware and designed
Communication technologies, spreadsheets using a variety their own computers. I received
report summaries about their chosen
Features and Uses of the of tools including:- Formula,
device and the reasons behind their
Cloud, Selection of Cloud Functions, Pivot tables,
choices. A number of students have
Technologies and Graphs, Slicers to name a
Implications of Cloud few. very expensive tastes. (which I am
Technologies. sure you already know) Devices
ranging from £5999.00 to less
expensive but completed own builds
Year 8—Winners
Poppy Seddon, Tarran Hollinshead and Tom McGurn Year 9 - Hom e
Schooling
Top ten achievers Most maker points One of their
Adam Fifield Adam Fifield lessons saw them
introducing
Seth Bateson Aiden Harris OneNote to an
Jamie Ingram Harriet Burrell alien. They had to
George Nobbs Oliver Pearce investigate what
tools where
Joe Mander available on
Olivia Evans OneNote (Part of
the Office365 suite).
Angus Varty
Will Oldham Below is an example of the fantastic
work I received.
Charlotte Evans
Tegan Whitlock
By Lilith Pearson Y9, C3
PAGE 18To succeed...To care...To inspire
Since Christmas, the students have been
busy at home, learning about music theory,
popular conventions and musicals! I was
blown away by some of the work the
students produced over the last few
months!
The bells were ringing out for Christmas at our annual
Christmas Concert in St John’s Church. The Woodwind
Ensemble opened the concert with a rousing rendition
of ‘Sleigh Ride’ putting everyone in the mood for Siobhan Woodward
Christmas. The Hand Bell Ringers made their debut and Sarah West
with arranged their own
Theastudents
traditionalhave
French carol,their
shown and joined the College
work ethic ‘Mix up Christmas’
Singers for an Israeli
and resilience, Round.
learning music from home and the College
can be difficult. Now we are back in Singers sang a
school, we are focusing on a Western Art Christmas Mash Up.
Music month, where all KS3 students
study the history of ‘Classical’ music.
Chiara Ireland Morris
My KS4 students have done amazingly well
during this time! Year 10 have worked hard on
music theory and analysis meanwhile Year 11
have revised hard ready to complete their mock
assessments. I am so proud of you, KS4!
Ed Hanson entertained
us with a jazzed up
version of ‘Let it
Snow’.
PAGE 19To succeed...To care...To inspire
As part of KS3’s PE lessons throughout home learning, they were given
outdoor challenges each week. These could include running, cycling or
walking.
The PE department have chosen some to share from each year group (there
were many to choose from)!
Well done to all of KS3 who kept engaged throughout home learning and
sent all their activities in for us to enjoy!
The PE department were thrilled to be asked to be involved in the latest
Enrichment. Each year group had five different activities, all of which
demonstrated different skills! Whether it was shooting into a netball hoop
or using their strength in tug-of-war, it was great to see such a wide range
of skills on show! The PE department thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon,
as I am sure all of the students did too!
‘Billy's father wants his son to
‘After watching Netflix’s learn boxing, like he did and his
‘The Last Dance’ I wanted father before him. But Billy is
to know more about fascinated by the grace and magic
Michael Jordan. With this of ballet and is determined to
book I wasn’t dance his way to a different
disappointed!! Great read.’ future’
PAGE 20To succeed...To care...To inspire
During the recent lockdown, students have been working very hard completing a range of homework
tasks and Key stage 4 students have been focusing as much as they can in preparation for their final
year of school. Students have been set practical challenges as well as written work during this time, as
it seemed important to have time away from their screens and an opportunity to get creative in the
kitchen. As well as the optional practical tasks, students were very keen to send in their photographs
of dishes they had made for their families which was lovely to see. Here are just a few examples of the
wonderful food that they made. There were so many! Well done to the ‘foodie’s’!
avan Ye a r 11
Lewis Be
SHANNON WHITLOCK
Year 10
NG MAN Lizzie
EE LO Jones
S H AY L Year 7
Year 10
n
1 Beava
Year 1 Lewis
M uncey Charlie
Allicia Angel Y
ear 11
PAGE 21To succeed...To care...To inspire
With a period of home learning taking up much of this
term, the opportunity for students to complete practical
tasks has been limited, however students have still
managed to complete some excellent examples of practical
work as shown in the images below.
Year 7 students have completed a Design and Make Project
based around hedgehog homes whilst Year 8 students
have worked through an up-cycling project. Year 9
students were allocated work relating to Food and Nutrition
whilst Year 10 and Year 11 students worked towards some
aspects of their controlled assessment and examinations.
Examples of up cycled products from Year 8 students
PAGE 22To succeed...To care...To inspire
Part of home learning this lockdown for Year 7 was to design and make a hedgehog home.
Key worker students were given a Friday ’Off screens’ session to make their designs in the workshop.
There were lots of great outcomes complete with foraged natural decoration!
The final winners in school were:
Lizzy Jones, Thomas Gindrat, Martha Elkins and Rhiannon Richards.
(There are still two homes in the workshop waiting to go home. Please collect.)
Thank you for all your efforts in school and at home.
Mrs Stainer
Available in the school library, this book
examines a range of designers and their
perspectives on the future of design
covering a range of areas such as
product design, furniture, ceramics,
glassware and textiles.
PAGE 23To succeed...To care...To inspire A massive thank you to the CCBC Friends for their kind donation of a cutting machine. The Art and Design department and The Design and Technology department will both greatly benefit from this new piece of kit! It will allow students to cut, score, deboss and produce a massive range of materials for their coursework and give them the ability to produce that professional ‘wow’ factor to their work. Many thanks from the Year 10 Graphics group who are already using it! PAGE 24
To succeed...To care...To inspire
How different this term would have been in ‘normal’ circumstances for the Careers department! It
should have begun in the Hall, with the Year 11 students receiving their predicted grades on the first
day back after the Christmas holidays. That feeling of anticipation, as they open the
envelope to reveal their grades and experience what it will be like when they open their
envelope in the summer, had to be replaced with a rather lonely envelope opened at
home!
Fortunately, we had been able to host all the local post 16 providers in the Autumn Term, and the Year
11 students received an overview of what is available once they embark on their next step after they
leave the Community College. Mr Thorley delivered a webinar in January to help them with the
application process. With the help of their coaches, we must congratulate them in their efforts in
writing their personal statements and completing their college applications. All students have now
applied, and many have already had their telephone interview and been offered a place.
The careers IAG sessions in January had to be cancelled, which was a real disappointment because we
had 3 exciting sessions planned for our Year 11 students, with Inspiring the Future virtual volunteers,
the Amazing Apprenticeships team and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We are lucky
that the DWP is still on board for our Year 7 IAG session in April, delivering remotely into the
classroom. With everything still being virtual, we look forward to the summer term when we should be
able to invite speakers and organisations to present face to face once again.
In February, National Apprenticeship Week had to take place at home for the
students, with a series of activities being sent out by Miss Glover to both KS3
and KS4 to raise the awareness of the benefits of becoming an apprentice and
the national apprenticeship scheme.
With the majority of our students still learning from home in March when National Careers Week took
place, we have decided to have our own ‘Careers Week’ after Easter instead.
Miss Glover updates the students in the weekly College News with all the current offers of careers
activities, useful websites, webinars and talks which might be of interest. It is never too early to start
to do your research and increase your knowledge of what is available beyond the Community College.
Many jobs and their sectors are not only changing but some are disappearing completely. Look at what
skills and qualities you already have and then try something new!
PAGE 25To succeed...To care...To inspire
House News
Clive-Austen Curie-Webb
Head of House, Mr J P Ward Head of House, Mr M Thursfield
Some might suggest that the Spring Term is a I for one am so glad to back in… the sound of
fallow time, nestling as it does between the students working, discussing, collaborating is
excitement of Christmas and the reawakening of one I have missed.
Easter. A time for reflection and bedding down.
Apt as that may be as we shake off the latest In Lockdown we had our Thursday Tutorials
lockdown, Clive-Austen students continue to where Kahoot Quizes became our go to game!
strive, laying the foundations for academic and Each week, new names would pop up on the
sporting achievements in the summer. leader board trying to dethrone the reigning
Whilst we may have achieved a creditable fourth champ. Following seven weeks of light hearted
place (out of four) in the Comic Relief competition, a few names need to be
Enrichment Games, there was no shortage of acknowledged for their General Knowledge
effort from all our teams, all very glad to be out prowess. Phebe Dog, Snow Angle, Pen Lego,
in the fresh air with their friends after such a Ozzy and Miss Leedam all took their place on the
long hibernation: top step, Callum Whittingham and Demi
Seth Bateson (right) and Mountford always there or there abouts.
Olivia Butler- Congratulations all.
Standing (left) We also have had a lot to be proud of since our
in action in return. We know that Webb were incredibly
the Kick it successful in the ‘Enrichment Pentathon’ – some
Cricket top performances in both team and individual
And in spite of lockdown, Clive events. Bring on Sports Day in the summer.
students have continued to rack up house points
as they pursue their studies with independence As for in the classroom, this has been tough
and resilience. going, having to adapt to another ‘new normal’.
Below are the top There are already 5 students who have proved
six students, girls their determination to continue how they left off
and boys, all of with gaining 100 positives in these last four
whom have weeks, Lily Churchett, Milli Rodick, Sophie
amassed more Thoday, Olivia Knobbs and Demi Mountford.
than 100 points. Mightily Impressive.
As we return to face to face teaching we need to Two weeks over Easter, ready to recharge the
praise Year 11 and Year 10 who arrived to find batteries for one final push to make the rest of
themselves confronted by mocks, but got on with this year
the job with great maturity. It has been a count.
pleasure to see Ms Scott’s and Mr Sharp’s groups Have a
show such commitment. In addition, Year 11 have great
been applying to college and for apprenticeships break
and Year 10 have been starting their applications all.
for the prefect body.
Many of our Clive students came up as Student of
the Week for different teachers in lockdown and
special mention must go to Tom Newbold and Sam
Spalding who were there in the first week and
Alexandra Birring and Joel Ash who were present
on the list in the final week.
Race to Tokyo' As a house w e
have travelled 1,043 miles since
January.
A sterling effort but don’t forget to
keep it going over Easter and
beyond. Be heart healthy and
don’t forget to take the dog.
PAGE 26 PAGE 16To succeed...To care...To inspire
House News
Darwin-Keller Sidney-Potter
Head of House, Miss A Lane Head of House, Mrs N Midgley
During March I decided to raise Students in Sidney showed masses of resilience
over the course of the remote learning period.
money for comic relief (Red Engagement with learning was high and I was
Nose Day) by making cherry very proud to have each and every one in my
brownies. I went around my House. Well done, everyone!
village handing out flyers, Soon Special mentions go to the following:
afterwards I had my first few Amelia Sawyer: she decided to
orders and by the time I had fundraise for charity during February,
finished I had taken more than and single-handedly raised over £1200!
30 orders and raised £ 245 . Tom and James Graham: they
Fern Brook were the Dingbats experts in our KS3
Year 8 House tutorials and the competition
between the brothers was fierce, but
D2 very good natured!
Comic Relief enrichment. Georgia Boot: for her
unfailing cheerfulness during the KS3
Darwin were victorious at the sports’ afternoon House tutorials and being very sweet
held on 19th March . Among the sports were Kick when my dog gate-crashed the
it Cricket, Relay race, Tug of war, Netball shoot session!
out and Wellie wanging. A big thankyou to Mr Kirk Flynn Swallow: for achieving
and the PE department for a splendid afternoon of second place in the Cookery
Competition, with his 3-course meal!
good fun. As usual the students were a joy to be Jamie Oliver, watch out!!!
with and participation was incredible.
Tallulah Rowson: for her
contributions to the quotation boards
for the main school and library, on top
of her high levels of engagement with
remote learning.
Lexie Francis-Borie:
superb levels of
engagement with remote
learning!
Matthew Sawyer:
superb levels of
engagement with remote learning!
Daisy Braddick: she
consistently completed
100% of the work every
week!
Jake Painter: the epic
distances he clocked up
on his many, many bike
rides are keeping our house in the
Race to Tokyo!
And last … but not least …The Sidney
Learning Coaches: Mr Taylor, Mr McMahon,
Mrs Price, Mrs Robinson, Mrs Lewis and Mrs
Medlicott: Each of them w ere superstars,
keeping in regular contact with their coaching
groups and motivating, encouraging and
supporting them throughout the lockdown period.
Thank you to each of you for all that you did!
PAGE 27To succeed...To care...To inspire During lockdown students in Year 11 were given the opportunity to develop some important life skills that will clearly benefit them in the future. Students made brownies, flapjacks, cakes and pizza. The staff relished the opportunity to show off their baking skills; Mr Howarth and Mr Taylor rising to the challenge each week. Mr Kirk enjoyed his role as chief taster awarding Jake Painter as star baker for the flapjacks. PAGE 28 PAGE 16
To succeed...To care...To inspire
PAGE 29Ryan Henry
Year 9 - D3
Jake Corfield
Year 10 - W4
PAGE 30To succeed...To care...To inspire
Enrichment did not exactly go to plan this term! With the lockdown in place for most of the term, it was
difficult to run any kind of Enrichment programme. Nonetheless we had some virtual events that were
designed to get students away from their screens, get some fresh air and do something positive. The
first was a Nature Photography competition, won by Jake Corfield. The second was a cookery
competition where students were encouraged to cook for their parents. Post lockdown there was just
one Enrichment session calendared, so we had an afternoon of House-competition sports: Kick-it
Cricket, Netball Shoot Out, Tug of War, a Relay and Welly Wanging; all done in a Covid-compliant way,
of course. Hopefully, next term, we should be back to a good programme of activities to enrich our
students' schooling.
PAGE 31To succeed...To care...To inspire
Community College Bishops Castle Friends update March 2021
Despite not being able to meet in person, the CCBC Friends have been busy continuing to try and
raise funds to help support the education and well-being of the students; so, thanks to all of you who
have joined in the Zoom meetings or donated your money or time to help.
Outdoor shelter project
The most exciting development is that the two outdoor shelters, designed and built by Josh Davies of
Bespoke Timber Structures and Carpentry, have now been completed and look amazing.
Josh Davies with the Hexagonal Shelter and the Chestnut Cruck Shelter.
You may remember back in 2018 the Friends were asked by students and the School Senate to help
provide more outdoor shelters as during wet weather breaks there was nowhere for students to go.
Little did we know at that time that Covid 19 would mean that outdoor space would be even more
vital to the safe running of the school. Money was raised through the Coop Local Fund, a grant from
Bishops Castle Town Council and various activities organised by the Friends. We are also really
grateful to Alistair Evans and Ransfords for donating some of the timber for the project which has
helped reduce the costs.
Unfortunately, the project had to go on hold due to the pandemic resulting in difficulty obtaining
supplies, but Josh, who is an ex-pupil of the Community College, was delighted to finally create the
shelters for his old school. We are pleased to have been able to use such a talented local craftsman.
Fund raising
Other fund raising this academic year included a Gift Day
before Christmas which was extremely successful, raising an
amazing £1450. Thank you to all who donated. We also
continue to receive small amounts of money in through Easy
Fundraising so please do sign up for this so we benefit every
time you shop online.
PAGE 32To succeed...To care...To inspire
Teacher ‘wish list’ funding
We have been able to fund equipment on teachers’ “wish lists” to improve
student education, including a Digital Pen Reader. This is a ‘pen’ that (when
scrolled over text) reads aloud in a digital voice to assist students in all year
groups who would normally require a ‘human’ reader for assessments.
Digital Pen Reader
We are also supporting the Kitchen Garden project with money to buy seeds and have bought storage
boxes to protect students’ work in D&T.
Due to a link through one of our parents, we have accessed some fantastic funding from Invertek, a
technology company based in Welshpool. This has enabled the purchase of a Hegner Scroll Saw for the
D&T department and a Cricut electronic cutting machine to enable more professional cutting out of
lettering, images etc. for Graphics project work.
Hegner scroll saw and Cricut electronic cutting machine purchased thanks to Invertek, Welshpool
Hardship Fund
Finally, we have established a small hardship fund. During the pandemic it was identified that some
students were suffering particular difficulties accessing education due to changes in circumstances. It
was suggested that going forward 10% of any money we raise would be put into a hardship fund (up to
a maximum of £500 each year), which could help support students with their education if the usual
sources of funding were not accessible. This may be for items such as revision guides, equipment,
uniform but may vary on a case-by-case basis following application to Mr Thorley.
Next meeting
Because of uncertainties due to Covid 19 we have no firm plans for fundraising events, but hope to be
able to organise something in the summer term. Our next meeting is (optimistically) planned to be back
at the Three Tuns on Thursday 27th May at 6pm and we would love to see you there. There will be an
update nearer the time, and it will of course go ahead on Zoom if meeting in groups is not allowed /
advisable at that point.
Thanks to you all for your ongoing support.
Paula Brayford
Chair CCBC Friends.
PAGE 33To succeed...To care...To inspire
Testing at the College has been a success since it began in Mid-January and has transferred smoothly
to the reintroduction of the whole student population.
There are a lot of people to thank with the most important being the amazing volunteers. Without the
volunteers, the school would not be running nearly as efficiently, and in addition the volunteers have
responded outstandingly well to the increased number of students. We are all in awe of their efforts
for our school community.
I must also thank the students as they have been extremely diligent since returning to school, with
their help we have managed to keep the whole school safe. We have all been immensely impressed
by their resilience and understanding and are super proud of them all.
As a whole school, we must all continue this phenomenal effort moving forwards into next term so
everyone can feel protected and happy in our school community.
The Volunteers:
Jules Agnew / Carole Booker / Elaine Bowen / Paula Brayford / Caroline Brook / Jayne Graham /
Louise Habgood / Nigel Hartin / Ruth Houghton / Tracy John / Heather Kidd / Nicki O'Donnell / Fiona
Pidduck / Sara Randall / Vanessa Richardson / Michelle Scuffham / Emma Serjeant / Jean Shirley /
Lucy Swallow
Heather Kidd,
LA Councillor
PAGE 34To succeed...To care...To inspire
For parents to support their children with different aspects of mental health from building resilience
to self-harm. It has free downloads, apps, videos, websites and a selection of books that parents
can buy.
https://www.camhs-resources.co.uk/
PAGE 35To succeed...To care...To inspire
Clun Residents
The Mid-Counties Co-operative
SPAR Bishop’s Castle
Radnor Hills Water Company
CO-OP Bishop's Castle
Britpart
Jules Agnew/ Carole Booker
Elaine Bowen / Paula Brayford Spring Term 2021
Caroline Brook / Jayne Graham Attendance News
Louise Habgood / Nigel Martin
Ruth Houghton / Tracy John Since returning to school on the 8th March
Heather Kidd / Nicki O’Donnell whole school attendance is at 95.73%. This is
Fiona Pidduck an increase on the previous term so let’s keep
Sara Randall / Lizzy Richards this up!
Vanessa Richardson
Michelle Scuffham Reasons for absence so far this term include:
Emma Sergeant / Jean Shirley Illness 46.8%
Lucy Swallow Medicals 17.4%
Religious observance 1.3%
Late arrival 3.2%
The national target for whole school
attendance is 96%, and we are currently
standing at 94.63%. Compared to last year we
have seen an increase of 1.38%.
Overall House Percentages
Clive 93.28 %
Darwin 95.63 %
Sidney 95.12 %
Webb 94.89 %
Overall Year Percentages
Year 7 – 96.36% Well done to Year 7’s!
Year 8 – 95.10%
Year 9 – 95.44%
Year 10 – 94.29%
Year 11 – 91.76%
Top Performing Coaching Groups :
Mr E Sharp C4 97.28%
Dr L Wilson D2 97.26%
Mr A Taylor S1 97.15%
PAGE 36 The College Website: ccbcshropshire.comYou can also read
