1

December, 2015

Visit Facebook.com/BlytheHigh to find out the latest news andimportant information.

The Winning design for the 2015 Christmas Card Competition by Jack Sanderson Year 9 CH9

See Page 12 for more information

Newsletter

2

Welcome and Farewell

Parent VoiceAs you will know, parent voice is very important tothe school, it helps inform our practice andimprove the school experience for students andparents alike.We recently surveyed Year 9 parents and wereoverwhelmed with the positive response received.There are always areas of improvement and wehave already implemented some of the suggestionsreceived through the survey. We have sharedbelow some of the statistics from the survey which

we hope you will agree are a real testament tothe school. Of the surveys received:

97% agreed that their child is well looked after.100% agreed that their child is taught well at thisschool.97% agreed that the school is well led andmanaged.91% agreed that concerns raised are dealt withwell.94% agreed that parents received valuableinformation from the school about their child'sprogress.100% stated that they would recommend our schoolto another parent.

Dear Parents / Guardians,A greater emphasis of celebrating achievements of our students has been afocus for staff this term and the feedback on the weekly texts home toparents has been very positive.As part of the school drive to increase the number and frequency ofrewards, a new system of recording student conduct is being introduced inJanuary.  During each lesson students will be graded according to theirbehaviour for learning and awarded a number: either 1, 2, 3, or 4. Studentsdemonstrating outstanding behaviour for learning will score a 1 for thelesson. Over the course of the week, half term, term and year students willbe tracked closely by tutors and heads of house to see who has the best‘behaviour average’ – those with the best scores (the lower, the better!)will be eligible for rewards events, trips, certificates and messages home.This is one of the many actions we have taken in response to feedback fromour parent partnership, staff and student voice.This week we say goodbye to one of our most highly respected members ofstaff, Mrs Stephens. Over her 38 year career at the school she has inspiredhundreds of students; developing musicality and helping students build their

confidence and express themselves through performance whilst gaining the knowledge and skills toprogress to University and into careers with the qualifications they have gained under her leadership.Her impact on the wider school through trips, productions, Building Learning Power, as an advancedskills teacher and, more recently as a lead practitioner for music, has been immeasurable. Testimonialsfrom staff, old and new, and students, past and present, have been pouring in and those of you whoattended our Christmas Concert will have had the privilege of hearing the surprise performance of ‘TheTwelve Days of Christmas’ from music students spanning Mrs Stephens career!Lewis Callear, Year 10: "Even though I've only known Mrs Stephens for a few years, she has had a hugeimpact on me. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the jazz orchestra, and she will be missed."Ryan Roberts, Year 10: "I have been amazed by every opportunity that Mrs Stephens has created for me,and will always be grateful to her for this. I would not be the musician I am today without her."Tom Cannon - class of 2014: "Mrs Stephens has inspired me to pursue music beyond school. Theopportunities she has given me are ones that I will never forget. I hope that she enjoys a well deservedretirement - the end of an era at Blythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form - she will be missed'.Miss Barnes "I have had the pleasure of working with Mrs Stephens for the past 7 years, and her guidanceand support has been invaluable, and her passion for music infectious. I wish her all the very best for awonderful, happy retirement''.On a personal note, my very best wishes to Mrs Stephens for a happy, healthy retirement. I thank her forall she has done for our school.We are thoroughly looking forward to the spring term where we will build upon the successes achievedso far this year. I wish you a restful holiday and very Happy New Year.

Mrs R. Johnson - Headteacher

3

Harvest record

The students and families at Blythe Bridge HighSchool & Sixth Form demonstrated their generosityin October donating 452.8 kg of tinned and non-perishable food to The Trussel Trust Stoke-on-TrentFood Bank. These donations broke the previousyear’s record of 438.2 kg and demonstrated thestudents' understanding of hardship and poverty inand around the local community. The TrusselTrust, which received the generousdonation,commented, ‘More than 1 million peoplereceived a 3 day food parcel this year compared tojust over 900,000 the previous year. Thesegenerous donations show the true understanding by

the students at Blythe Bridge High School & SixthForm and will directly support the localcommunity.'

Young First AidersThe first cohort of Young First Aiders achievedcertification in early November having completedthe St. John Ambulance Young First Aider Award.All Year 7 students will have the opportunity tocomplete the qualification as part of the PracticalCitizenship programme dovetailed into the Year 7curriculum. This provides the students with reallife skills that they may need to use in anemergency. The course teaches the students howto provide basic life support until paramedicsarrive.’Student Emily Duke said, ‘I really enjoyed the FirstAid course. I now know how to treat minor andmajor bleeds, fractures, head injuries andcomplete CPR if required’Fellow student Kylie Forster said, ‘learning how totreat blood injuries was really fun. I know how totreat an unconscious casualty or treat burns andfractures.’ Mr A. Jackson -Director of Transition and Vocation Learning

Rachel Thys - Learning Resource CentreAdministrator.I moved to this area in May after getting married to a local man whoused to go to this school. My previous role was a Library Assistant atStaffordshire University and I have a Masters in Library and InformationScience from Manchester Metropolitan University. I am passionateabout Literacy and will be promoting reading for pleasure as I help staffand students use the library and the information it holds. I will beworking closely with the English and Assisted Learning Departments andwill be supporting their activities. My favourite genre of book is fantasyand I am currently reading a series by Paul Paolini about dragons.

4

Dove ReporterDove ReporterSomper whips up a Storm!

Justin Somper is an acclaimed writer who has seen his books published in 25 languages and 35 countriesworldwide. In Waterstone’s Harry Potter Report he was stated to be the natural successor to J KRowling. One of his books has become a stage sensation and there has been call for a Vampirates movie.And so I am sure that you will agree that when Blythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form held host to a talkfrom the man himself on 19th November, we knew that we were in for a treat.Justin led all of our Year 7 students through an inspirational talk where he not only shared his planningprocesses but also got the students to think about which kind of characters they would include in one ofhis stories and what would happen to them. They came up with some marvellous ideas. He also signedhis books and held a Q&A session.The students loved it, as did Justin who tweeted about his time with us. A superb event. Watch out forthe next one.

Mrs B.Carr

5

The House of Communication

As an MFL student, you try to find anyopportunity possible to be immersed indifferent languages in order to improveyour core linguistic skills. After an amazingweek, I have to say that there is no greateropportunity than this one. The Limogeswork experience programme not onlyallowed me to be fully immersed in theFrench language for a week but it alsoallowed me to gain invaluable experienceas a teacher in a primary school in thecentre of the city: École Élémentaire JulesFerry. As well as the work placement,where I worked with the students toimprove their knowledge of England and itsculture, there were many opportunities toexplore the culture of the city: this was avery exciting and enlightening experience.I would very much recommend visiting thehistorical quarter for its museums and theCathedral. Above all, the trip allowed meto experience a more independent lifewhile improving my linguistic skills to agreat extent; I now feel more confident inspeaking, reading and writing in Frenchand enjoy doing so much more thanbefore. The people that I met and theknowledge that I gained through thismarvellous experience have really changedmy outlook on life and my future and Iwould really recommend this excursion toanybody who is taking French or whowould like to improve their skills.

Matthew Porter Y13

In October, I had the opportunity to go to France for 10 days and take part in a work experienceplacement courtesy of an outstanding programme. The aim of the programme is to improve aspects ofFrench such as speaking and listening, so that when the time of the A2 exams arrive students are as wellprepared as possible. Personally, I don’t know a better way to improve the language you are learningthan immersing yourself in the country and culture. The experience is invaluable, both for academic andpersonal reasons, as on the trip, from my experience, you make some really good friends and have sucha good time with them; the change and the new people are things that make the trip amazing.Academically, I knew as soon as I returned that my speaking skills in French had improved and there is asense of pride because you know throughout the week that you have worked hard, faced a mentallychallenging task head on and come out of it an improved linguist. It is an opportunity I am very grateful Ireceived, something I am very thankful for, an experience that I will never forget and without a doubtthe best week of my life. Orry Ogden Y13

Limoges Work Experience 2015Once again, our A2 French students had the fantastic opportunity to participate in a week long workexperience visit to Limoges in France in October 2015, working in a French primary school, and for thecity’s municipal sports organisation. 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of this county-wide visit, and asalways students benefited greatly from the experience. Mr D. Sutton

Matthew and Orryoutside the accommodation centre

6

DO1: Morgan Stride and Joshua Brown.

DO2: Olivia Christie, Ebony Lloyd and Oliver Cook.

DO3: Dalton Astbury, Matthew Peacock, Melisha Villiers, Dylan Lindop, Edward Brian and Stephens Delf.

DO4: Jacob Wooliscroft.

DO5: Ethan Beesley, Tianna-Lily Wilkinson-Tizley, Alexis Hopkinson, Connor Arthur and Joseph Preston.

DO6: Jersey Arthur, Lydia Cahun, Jessica Thorley, Dylan Wheatley and Jake Wild.

DO7: Joshua Butler, George Mullis, Laura Wilson and Samuel Simkin.

DO8: William Cook, Amelia Bourne, Kezia Nadin, Thea Clay, Thomas Watkinson and Benjamin Weston.

DO9: Lucy Evanson, Thomas Heath, Isaac Peirson and Callum Horton.

D10: Amelia Windsor, Kaci Heath, Benjamin Fraser, Emily Wilson and Charlie Meyrick.

D01: Callum Sale for endeavour and achievement across the curriculum.

D02: Aimee Stubbs for a fantastic amount of achievement points and being helpful in form.

D03: Stephen Delf for continuing to work hard.

D04: Zak Hill For excellent manners around the school.

D05: Kieran Wild - very good attendance and participation in the Christmas Concert.

D06: Lydia Cahun for her good attendance, constant effort and positive attitude.

D07: Sam Simkin for having a positive first term and 100% attendance.

D08: Imogen Bowers for effective use of planner and good behaviour around school.

D09: Chantel Cullen for her friendly, enthusiastic approach to form life.

D010: William Scott Baxter for gaining the most achievement points in one week

1st Dove 4 14952nd Dove 10 14953rd Dove 3 14054th Dove 7 13295th Dove 8 12966th Dove 5 11457th Dove 2 11218th Dove 9 10309th Dove 6 93410th Dove 1 850

Dove Top 10 Tutor Groups

Celebrations for Christmas 2015Celebrations for Christmas 2015

Dove Top Achievers

1st Cory Collins Yr  8 179

2nd Kieran Wild Yr  8 1493rd Thomas Chapman Yr  8 1364th Hary Reeves Yr 10 1305th Jacob Wooliscroft Yr 8 1266th Louey Goble Yr 7 114

Laura Wilson Yr 7 1148th Lydia Bennett Yr 8 1109th Wilf Crook Yr 7 107

10th Frances Smith Yr 7 99

'Dove Stars'for contribution in tutor groups

Dove Year 7 Top Achievers 1st Sara Awaness 2nd Louey Goble

3rd Paige Molyneaux

Dove Year 8 Top Achievers 1st Alexis Hopkinson 2nd Evangeline Gething

3rd Amelia Higgs

Dove Year 9 Top Achievers 1st Imogen Bowers 2nd Freya Humphries

3rd Niall Moss

Dove Year 10 Top Achievers 1st Connor Arthur 2nd Samuel Reynolds 3rd Kieran Alcock

Dove Year 11 Top Achievers 1st Phoebe Tuck 2nd Phoebe Lloyd 3rd Victoria Heath

Congratulations to the following41 students with

100% punctuality and attendance

7

Eco School Committee UpdateReduce, Reuse and Recycle! The three R’s havebeen increasingly embedded into our school ethossince the beginning of September.

ReduceBlythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form has activelyparticipated in EDF’s Energy Month, which isdesigned to inspire and encourage students to thinkdifferently about energy. All students gain accessto the current debates surrounding energy insubjects such as science, geography andcitizenship. However, the Energy Month event wasdesigned to encourage students to become moreself-aware and proactive in dealing with the issuessurrounding energy.A series of energy facts were displayed around theschool for a week. The facts were included in aform quiz that all houses were to participate in.Students were encouraged to engage, rememberand share the facts with their peers. Some studentssimply read the facts as they moved betweenlessons, whilst others took the competition veryseriously and were seen taking photographs of thefacts using mobile technology. At the end of theweek each form completed the quiz. The followingfacts were included;

1. At the end of a TV Programme there isoften a sudden increase in the amount ofelectricity that’s used in people’s homesbecause of kettles being switched on.

2. Electric eels can generate an electricalcharge of 600 volts (50 times the shockingpower of a car battery).

3. Iceland generates 29% of its electricitythrough heat from geothermal sources.

4. In 2014, 19% of the UK’s electricity camefrom nuclear power.

5. 18% of people in the world do not haveaccess to electricity.

6. When a bird has both feet planted on awire, the electrons moving within anelectrical current don’t travel through itsbody, therefore it is not electrocuted.

7. The UK is the windiest country in Europeand has over 6500 wind turbines.

8. Electric cars have been around for over 180years!

9. The first electric pylon was built in 1928.10. A flash of lightning can heat the air around

it to temperatures five times hotter thanthe sun’s surface!!

11. Every year, about 200 million batteries aresold in the UK!

12. The coal that powers electricity today was aplant or a tree millions of years ago.

13. Body heat from the London Undergroundcould be used to heat nearby homes!

14. A standard wind turbine can produce asmuch energy as 16,000 solar panels.

15. By 2040, the world’s energy supply isexpected to be equally split between lowcarbon sources, oil, natural gas and coal.

16. Every year in the UK around 15 milliontonnes of food are thrown away.

17. In January 2015, wind energy broke a newrecord when it generated 14% of the UK’s

Manifold ReporterManifold ReporterHistory workshopOn the 20th October, Y9 students tookpart in workshops and presentationsprovided by two current armed forcesservicemen. To mark the centenary ofWW1, Warrant Officer Miller andCorporal O'Kelly helped students learnabout recruitment, equipment and lifein the field during the Great War andcompared it to the life of soldierstoday. Students were particularly keenon getting their hands on replica WW1artefacts and their moderncounterparts.Mr B. Tomasik

Photograph features Destiny Davies-Boon and Marshall Hankey.

8

Theo Paphitis is a Cypriot-born British retailmagnate and entrepreneur of Greek Cypriotorigin. He is best known to the general publicfor his appearances on the BBC businessprogramme Dragons' DenHis empire spans retail, property, financeand consumer goods.In early 2009 Theo was appointed patron forSkillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council forRetail, which is committed to driving upskills levels in the industry. His special areasof responsibility are as the RetailApprentices' Champion and for the new

National Skills Academy for Retail.

electricity – enough to power 8.7 millionhomes.

18. The International Space Station is poweredby an acre of solar panels!

19. The world’s first ever tidal lagoon projecthas been granted planning permission.

20. Scientists are currently studying panda poopto see if it can help us turn plants into fuelfor greener cars in the future.

Winners of the Energy QuizDerwent 9Churnet 6Dove 5Manifold 3

As a school we have managed to reduce our energyconsumption dramatically since 2007.Alongside the Energy Quiz, we also had an EnergyPoster Competition for Year 7. Students had todesign a poster that aimed to raise awareness ofsome of the issues surrounding energy. There wereover 50 entries, however there could only be fourwinners. Mrs Johnson judged the competition andwas very impressed by the effort that had goneinto the completion of each poster.Winners: Erin Barr MA8, William Scott-Baxter DO10,Ryan Barnes MA5 and Samuel Moss DO7.

ReuseThe Eco Committee will be holding a ChristmasCraft morning on Monday 14th December. Theyhave invited a small selection of Year 4 and 5students from each of our feeder primary schools.Manifold students have been busy collectingmaterials from home that would otherwise bethrown away or recycled. The Eco students are

going to show the children how they can turn someof their household waste into Christmasdecorations and Christmas cards. Some of the EcoCommittees from the feeder schools will be joiningus. We are looking forward to more fantasticopportunities for Blythe Bridge High School & SixthForm to forge links within our local community.

RecycleWe are nearing the time of festive rubbish! Duringthe month of December we dispose of more wastethan any other month in the year. In reaction tothis, the Eco Committee will be placing recyclingboxes for Christmas card envelopes and wrappingpaper in the Main Reception and the EgertonCentre. The contents of the boxes will then berecycled at one of our local centres!

Other NewsIn support of RSPB’s 'Feed the Bird 'day, the EcoCommittee made bird feeders. We mixed birdseed, bread and currants with warm lard to createa series of small fat balls. Pieces of string wereplaced in the middle of each one so they could behung from the branch of a tree.I have really enjoyed teaching 8Y4 for theirScience/Eco lesson this half term. We have spentsome time learning about plant life and haveplanted our own cacti! Students have also createda small information postcard on plants in supportof the Christmas Craft Morning. Each primaryschool child will receive one of these. In thecoming weeks students are going to research thedifferent types of energy we could use and design aboard game that reflects their learning.

Miss L. Horobin

Manifold ReporterManifold Reporter

Expert advice at the Skills Show

9

The House of Global Issues and Environmental Concerns

On Thursday,19th November 2015 anumber of Year 11, 12 and 13 studentsattended the Skills Show at the NEC inBirmingham. The Skills Show is the nation’slargest skills and careers event, and its aimis to help shape the future of a newgeneration. It attracts almost  75,000visitors each year with hands-onexperiences that inspire young people toexplore further education, skills andapprenticeships.The students were able to talk toprofessionals from organisations such asJaguar Land Rover, L’Oreal, Barclays, Nextand Costa Coffee just to name a few. Aswell as talking to advisers, they were alsoable to take part in challenges andactivities to see if they had the skills forspecific careers, along with watchingothers take part in competitions aroundforensic science and hairdressing. Sincethe visit, students have been buzzing withthoughts about what they want to do in thefuture and it seems to have given themmuch inspiration.A few quotes include :‘It was a good day as there was lots ofengineering companies there offeringadvice and apprenticeships on theircareers’‘I got great advice from Jaguar Land Roverabout how to get an apprenticeship’‘Very informative about apprenticeshipsand the range of choices there were.Definitely worth going. There were manyideas there that you wouldn’t havethought of at home’Year 11 students are currently beingencourage to think about their futures andwhere they see themselves in the future. Ifyou would like any further informationabout support available please contact MissE. Housley, Teacher in Charge of WorkExperience and Careers.Below are a few websites which you mayfind useful for answering any questionsabout future choices:www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.ukwww.apprenticeships.org.ukwww.icould.comwww.UCAS.com

Skills show

10

MA1: Craig Tunnicliffe, Leah Bentley and Summer Burton.MA2: Lucy Herward, Joshua Crump, Joseph Day, Bethany Callcott, Eve Fleming, Bethan Martin and Jamie Blundred.MA3: Thomas Walklate and James Deacon.MA4: Lucie Turner, Levi Byatt and Daniel Potts.MA5: Alysia Bickerton, Josh Anthony and Joseph Comley.MA6: Paris Palethorpe and Dominic Ward.MA7: Isabel Dale, Ella Barnett, Sydney Davies, Jophie Horleston and Lilly Cartwright-Tams.MA8: Mollie Banks, Daniel Fleming and Michael Stonier.MA9: Bethany Davis, Rosie Keeling and James Harvey.MA10: Carla Johnson, Grace Bradley, Siobhan Burrows, Mollie Skellern and Callum Flannagan.

Congratulations to the following students who have beennominated as their tutor stars:MA2: Darcy Ridge for achieving the most achievement points this term and Aaron Ferneyhough for his commitment to the school council.MA3: Melissa Degg for showing fantastic resilience and effort across all subjects and Sylvan Glazowski for his mature and polite approach to staff and students in tutorial.MA4: Shannon Johnson for achieving the most achievement points and zero behaviour points and Levi Byatt for his commitment to extra-curricular sport and physical educationMA6: Dominic Ward for his excellent effort this term with uniform, equipment, planner signing, attendance, punctuality, politeness and contribution to extra- curricular activities. Also to Olivia Breeze for her excellent effort this term with uniform, equipment, planner signing, attendance/punctuality and politeness.MA7: Lacey Smith for her mature approach to Year 11 with a great improvement in her work ethic and organisational skills. Also for contributing to the community and supporting others. Lewis Brindley for his consistently excellent approach to learning and being a brilliant role model to others.MA8: Erin Barr for showing resilience and determination since starting Blythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form in September. She has produced some outstanding class and homework and has been recognised by the students as a conscientious and hardworking young lady! Also, Thomas Tinsley for his positive attitude to learning.MA9: Daniel Farr for supporting and mentoring fellow students and Rosie Keeling for her outstanding attitude to school and her learning.MA10: Chloe Johnson-Alcock for her excellent progress and Joshua Watson for his involvement in the wider school at concerts and the Festival of Arts evening etc.

1st Sydney Davies Yr 8 156

2nd Tom Walklate Yr 7 155

3rd Melissa Degg Yr 8 1504th Ryan Barnes Yr 7 1455th Tom Hopkins Yr 8 1406th Chloe Heath Yr 8 1327th Carla Johnson Yr 8 1308th Siobhan Burrows Yr 9 1269th Alysia Bickerton Yr 8 115

Lilly Cartwright-Tams Yr 9 115Darcy Ridge Yr 7 115

1st Manifold 7 19582nd Manifold 3 16863rd Manifold 8 14774th Manifold 5 12975th Manifold 2 12326th Manifold 10 12067th Manifold 9 10158th Manifold 6 9759th Manifold 4 88910th Manifold 1 760

Manifold Top Achievers

Manifold Year 7 Top Achievers1st Charlotte Wheawall2nd Isla Rogan3rd Frances Smith

Manifold Year 8 Top Achievers1st Mia Kelsall2nd Bradley Wright3rd Caitlin Hammersley Nicole Moss

Manifold Year 9 Top Achievers1st Mollie Skellern2nd Natasha Roberts3rd Freya Walker

Manifold Year 10 Top Achievers1st Jack Dundas2nd Magenta Lumley3rd Zara Hussain

Manifold Year 11 Top Achievers1st Alexander Gerrard2nd Laura McManus3rd Billie Wagstaff

Celebrations for Christmas 2015Celebrations for Christmas 2015

Manifold Top 10 Tutor Groups

'Manifold Stars' for contribution in tutor groups

Congratulations to the following 36 studentswith 100% punctuality and attendance

11

DE1: Rhys Carson-Deering, Oliver Herdman, Chloe Stewart, Aisha Hulme and Leanne Wilson.DE2: George Kay and Matthew Allt.DE3: Eddie Cooper, Tamasin Hutt, Zara Dale and Elliot Edwards.DE4: Amelia Reeves, Ava Lowndes, Marcus Hughes and Annabelle Perrins.DE5: Megan Shenton and Dionne Hill.DE6: George Emberton, Owen Snelson, Taylor Woodbridge, Matthew Weaver and Peter Wilson.DE7: Faith Prime Salt.DE8: Hannah Goring, Lydia Hall and Phoebe Proctor.DE9: Rhys Lowndes, Megan Plant and Joshua Doolan.DE10: Evan Bloor and Joshua Ash.

DE1: Rhys Carson-Deering for making an amazing start to the year and highest achievement points in DE1 all year.

DE2: Madison Eastham: excellent effort across the curriculum.

DE3: Eddie Cooper and Ethan Doolan: they come as pair and have achieved great things together. They have helped at various events, played in the Y7 Festival of Arts and they brought in dozens of items for harvest festival.

DE4: Megan Ryan for exceeding last year’s house points total in a single term and for making considerable improvement.

DE5: Alexandra Harrison for a great start to Year 10. Mr J. Plant couldn’t pick a fault with her if he tried!

DE6: Harriet Chadwick for excelling in physical ducation and representing Staffordshire County in football.

DE7: Isabella Shaw for an outstanding report.

DE8: Alana Hall for her excellent effort across the curriculum.

DE9: Ryan Pascoe for excellent effort in all lessons and the highest amount of achievement points in the form.

DE10: Madison Crowther, Niamh Brammer, Charlotte Jackson. They have all put maximum effort into all the tutorial packages. They are extremely helpful and have a good attitude to their studies.

DerwentTop Achievers

1st Derwent 6 17332nd Derwent 10 15453rd Derwent 7 12334th Derwent 4 12175th Derwent 8 11416th Derwent 1 11297th Derwent 5 10768th Derwent 3 10719th Derwent 9 92210th Derwent 2 707

Derwent Year 7 Top Achievers1st Bethany Bingham

2nd Georgia Cope 3rd Katelin Hughes Tianna-Lily Wilkinson-TizleyDerwent Year 8 Top Achievers 1st Ellie Anderson 2nd Melissa Degg

3rd Hannah Kendrick

Derwent Year 9 Top Achievers1st Destiny Davies-Boon

2nd Adam Robinson 3rd Charlotte Jackson

Derwent Year 10 Top Achievers1st Alexandra Harrison

2nd Harriette Lyons3rd Bethany Pedlar

Derwent Year 11 Top Achievers1st Holly Jackson

2nd Isabella Shaw 3rd Keavy Miller

1st Rhys Carson-Deering Yr 7 1622nd Niamh Brammer Yr 8 1403rd Madison Crowther Yr 9 135

Charlotte Jackson Yr 9 1355th Faith Prime Salt Yr 8 1256th Alexandra Harrison Yr 10 1207th Elizabeth Smith Yr 9 115

Georgina Willott Yr 9 1159th Katie Brain Yr 9 110

10th Alana Hall Yr 9 109

The House of Business Enterpriseand Work Related LearningDerwent ReporterDerwent Reporter

DerwentTop 10 Tutor Groups

Congratulations to the following 31 studentswith 100% punctuality and attendance

'Derwent Stars'for contribution in tutor groups

12

Jack Sanderson CH9produced a lovelydrawing of a Christmasscene (on the front ofthis Newsletter) andthis has been selectedto be professionallyprinted as the officialschool Christmas card.Alyssa Whitehead CH8received the HeadTeacher'sRecommendationAward for her design.Rebecca Farr 12E, ErinBarr 7C1, Chloe DaviesCH2, Amelia BourneDO8, Milly BreretonCH6 were thecompetition runnersup.

Mrs R. Johnson

Christmas Card Competition

All the entries for the Christmascard competition will be ondisplay throughout theChristmas holidays at the ‘ShoeZone’ shop in Blythe Bridge.

Churnet ReporterChurnet Reporter The cultural, creativeand practical house

by Alyssa Whitehead

13

On November 11th, Air ForceCadet, Lewis Callear Year 10,played the Last Post andRevielle as the schoolcommunity reflected on thesacrifices made by service menand women over the years.Joshua Stevenson alsoperformed the Last Post at theDouglas MacMillan Hospice.We are very proud of ourmusicians who took on thisrole.

Mrs J. Stephens

Blythe Bridge High School

Every Monday in N26with Mrs Parr

Want to improve your music theoryknowledge and maybe take a

Grade exam?Come along to...

The Music Trust

On Thursday 5th November ourThe Blythe Bridge High School &Sixth Form Jazz Orchestra andsaxophone ensemble, which Iperform with, were invited toplay at the official opening ofLongton Community Fire Station.Amongst those in attendancewere Mr Peter Dartford (Chief ofStaffordshire Fire and RescueService), members of the policeforce, and many local councillorskeen to see ways in which thenew station has, and will, benefitthe community.

The fire station was officiallyopened by Mrs Kath Banks, a localcouncillor with historical links toLongton Fire Station, and amember of the Staffordshire FireAuthority.Joining the Jazz Orchestra wasGabriela Frey, a Year 12exchange student fromSwitzerland. She came to BlytheBridge High School in September2015 and is staying with us for ayear. After only a few rehearsals,Gabriela joined us to sing‘Skyfall’ at the opening.

After the official openingceremony, the Senior SaxophoneEnsemble played to guests asthey enjoyed refreshments andtoured the new station. We had a lovely afternoon, andgained a more detailed insightinto the ways in which the FireService serve the community. Wereceived lots of positivecomments about theperformances of both the JazzOrchestra and SaxophoneEnsemble. Amy Keeling Y12

14

Year 7Festival of Arts

Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts

15

Congratulations to Year 7 for the fantastic display of yourachievements this termMore than 80 Year 7 students performed in our Festival of Arts 2015 concert, celebrating theircurriculum achievements in Dance, Drama, Media Studies and Music. Superb displays around the hall,provided by the Art, Design and Technology departments, showed the extent of students' creativity inthose lessons. There was a collection ofillustrations and 3 dimensional ceramicsbased on the story of ‘Animal Ark’, displays ofpoems and recycled sculptures from recenthomework tasks in art; sock animals made inCitizenship lessons; and counter rotatingspinners inspired by wildlife and produced inDesign and Technology lessons.Year 7 drama students performed six shortscenes from ‘A Christmas Carol’ and musicalitems included Samba and African drumming,folk songs and solo music performances.Year 7 dancers had choreographed two dances, one relating to clockwork dolls and the other providingopportunities for dance in a variety of styles.Many thanks to the 180 parents and friends who attended the evening and to all involved for helping tomake this event such a great success.

Mrs J. Stephens

Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts Arts

16

The Music Trust

World-famous concert pianist Richard Meyrick issponsored by Pianoman, a national programme toencourage and nuture talented young pianists(sponsored by Mr & Mrs Harvey McGrath). Richardgave a piano Masterclass at our school on ThursdayDec 3rd 2015 and the following students performedfor Richard Meyrick as part of the masterclass:Emily Parfitt Y13 perfomed Bach Prelude In Cminor; Alex Edwards Y12 - Solfeggietto by C.P.EBach and The Prayer of the Matador by Joio; NaomiSalt Y12 - Gondellied by Mendelssohn; CharlieBailey Y11 -Waltz in B minor by Chopin; Joe GibsonL'orage Y10 (The Storm) by Burgmuller and RomaniAlessandrea played Tango by Angeloa Villoldo.20 piano students, mostly Grade 3 or above,attended the masterclass. For many it was the firsttime they had heard a concert pianist perform liveand they were all inspired in some way by Richard'scomments and feedback.At the beginning of the class Richard emphasisedthat the most important feature in musicalperformance is 'the beat'. Without a sense of beat,music is dead and he demonstrated the differencebetween a piece that was dead, had no life or souland another that was alive. This has really had animpact on the students as they have recentlyperformed on their other instruments in ensembles

and orchestras at the Christmas Concert. Othercomments include:'I now know how important body language is as Iperform; to prepare myself before starting to play;how to sit and get my foot ready on the sustainpedal'.'Richard has made me think about the titles of mypieces and to relate them to the music'.'I now realise that I must research the composerand listen to other music written by them; toconsider how they would want their music to soundand to preferably play from unedited music'.For me, Richard supported my belief, that you canbe whatever you want to be in life. He explainedthat after hearing a performance of Rachmaninov'sPiano Concerto No 2 as a young child, he turned tohis father and said, "I want to play that! I want tobe a concert pianist." From that day he workedhard to achieve his goal.Richard has certainly inspired our musicians and weare indebted to his sponsors. We hope that one dayRichard will be able to return to the school.

Mrs J. Stephens

Pianoman Scholarship Scheme

17

Christmas Concert 2015

The annual Christmas concert was staged onDecember 8th with performances from all themusical ensembles, School Orchestra, dramastudents and readers.In September, the school purchased a 30 piecesamba band and samba performance has now beenintegrated into the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Allstudents have the opportunity to play either thesurdo (the big colourful drums), the repinque (atamborin), the ganza (a shaker) or the agogo (atwo headed bell-like instrument). Mrs J. Parr hasalso held Samba group rehearsals, lead by RyanRoberts Y10, after school every Wednesday. Twosamba groups from Year 7 performed in theFestival of Arts and a group, and a band lead byJoshua Watson, performed in the ChristmasConcert. They were a superb addition to theconcert and, I am sure, just the start of things tocome.Not only was this my last concert at Blythe BridgeHigh School & Sixth Form, but it was the last onefor Mr G. Brown who has taught lower strings for 28years and many will also know Mr G. Brown for allhis hard work and support with the Moorlands MusicCentre. We wish him all the best for a long andhappy retirement.The concert concluded with a surprise performanceof 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' by music students

I had taught during my 38 years at Blythe BridgeHigh School & Sixth Form; the oldest now 52 yearsof age! Many dusted off their instruments to thenperform with the jazz orchestra.I was overcome with emotion and I thank everyonefor making the effort to attend the evening; sometravelling from Newport, Manchester, Birminghamand Derby. Thanks to everyone for your cards,presents and well wishes. I have received so manymessages and videos from music students allaround the world; Australia, Hong Kong andCanada. One in particular, I would like to share:"...the lessons we learnt in music go beyond themanuscript. I personally feel that Blythe BridgeHigh School & Sixth Form Music Department hasbeen the origins of my sense of adventure, love oftravel, the root of great friendships and fantasticmemories....we were taught to "Reach for theStars".Julie (Haematology consultant) and Dave (Softwareconsultant).This, along with the numerous other messages Ihave received, is a testimony to the significant rolemusic can play in our lives.I wish you all the best for the future.

Mrs J. Stephens

A testimony to the significance of music in our lives.

18

Celebrations for Christmas 2015

J

1st Churnet 8 15302nd Churnet 1 12843rd Churnet 4 12294th Churnet 2 11135th Churnet 9 10646th Churnet 7 10237th Churnet 10 9858th Churnet 6 9819th Churnet 3 88010th Churnet 5 839

c

1st Evie Gething Yr 8 1602nd Amy Brian Yr 8 1413rd Jordan Tipper Yr 10 1394th Holly Haigh Yr 7 1195th Chak Wan Yr 11 1106th Ana Russell Yr 7 1097th Chloe Salt Yr 9 1058th Charlotte Hill Yr 7 969th Georgia Whitehouse Yr 9 9610th Zak Beaman Yr 9 94

Churnet Year 7 Top Achievers1st Melisha Villiers

2nd Megan Thorley3rd Daisy Knott

Churnet Year 8 Top Achievers 1st Mason Foulkes 2nd Cory Collins

3rd Megan Shenton

Churnet Year 9 Top Achievers1st Brogan Beaman

2nd Aimee Sargeant 3rd Wade Gibben

Churnet Year 10 Top Achievers1st Joey Chung

2nd Megan Thomas 3rd Hollie Sammons Larissa Thomson

Churnet Year 11 Top Achievers1st Katie Birks

2nd Lauren Jeffries 3rd Chak Wan

Churnet Top 10 Tutor Groups

Churnet Top Achievers

Congratulations to the following40 students with 100% punctuality and

attendance

CH1: Freya Pointon and Corey Wooldridge.CH2: Taylor Edwards, Archie Lowe, Mia Stanley and Joshua Mercer.CH3: Sarah Awaness, Alice Barlow, Holly Moore and Maisie Johnstone.CH4: Emily Holland, Lauren Mercer, Ben Buckett and Larissa Thomson.CH5: Jack Sibbring, Myles Stanley and Rhiannon Thomson.CH6: Luke Ganley, Libby Stephen, Amelia Brereton, Connagh Colclough and Bethan Thomas.CH7: Lucy Somogy, Lucas Thornton, Lucy Hadley and Ellie Mellor.CH8: Amy Brian, Joel Callear, Luke Wareham and Joshua Davis.CH9: Joseph Dawson, Mollie Johnstone, Emma Rogers, Chela Smith, Bethany Townsend and Thomas Stoker.CH10: Madeline Callear, Amy Charles, Jack Dawson and Joey Chung.

‘Churnet Stars’ for contribution in tutorgroups

CH1 Chak Wan for his fantastic attitude towards school and Kieran O’Brien for excellent effort and progress throughout the term.CH2 James Boswell for his positive attitude and contribution in form time. Also Jordan Tipper for her accumulation of achievement points.CH3 Evie Gething for her fantastic attitude towards school and Amy Carter for being a super role model to other students.CH4 Aimee Sergeant and Libby Hollins for their superb organisation and use of the school planner.CH5 Katie Birks for always helping others and Georgia Stephen for her excellent attitude towards school.CH6 Emily Cuerden for her excellent attitude towards school and Amber Shaw for being such a great role model to other students.CH7 Georgia Whitehouse for her accumulation of achievement points and Tad Jonhera for his fantastic attitude towards school.CH8 Amy Brian for her accumulation of achievement points and Holly Brown for being such a positive role model to others.CH10 Holly Haigh and Emily Duke for their superb attitude towards school and their learning.

19

Winston’s Wish was set up in 1992 to meet the needs of bereaved children, young people and theirfamilies. Since then, they have helped many thousands of children begin to live with their loss. As aschool, we decided to support such a worthy cause by asking the students to donate £1 and wear afunny hat/ funny wig to bring an element of fun to the fundraising. Mrs K. Cotterill

Students and staff raised a total of £548.72

Student Leadership Team - Fundraising

20

Achievement Points1st Manifold 12530 points2nd Dove 12110 points3rd Derwent 11789 points4th Churnet 10953 points

Attendance

1st Dove 95.07%2nd Manifold 94.59%3rd Derwent 94.58%4th Churnet 94.06%

House leagues, results and other achievements

Best Form Attendance1st DO7 97.05%1st CH7 97.05%3rd DE6 97.03%4th MA8 96.56%

27th November 2015

On the 25th September, Blythe Bridge High School& Sixth Form embraced the challenge and joinedthe World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in support ofDouglas MacMillan. Our amazing staff took on theGreat British Bake Off and we all shared a piece ofcake, or two, whilst the refreshments wereprovided by our Student Leadership Team. Duringbreak-time we raised £223. Many thanks to thosewho baked and donated. Mrs K. Cotterill

Success in recent music examsCharlotte Mooney Grade 1 Theory PassAimee Sargeant Grade 1 Piano DistinctionRyan Roberts Grade 5 Theory PassJoe Bailey Grade 5 Theory DistinctionJoe Gibson Grade 6 Bassoon Distinction

Congratulationsto the following students:

Number of Students with 100% punctualityand attendance

Ist Dove 412nd Churnet 403rd Manifold 364th Derwent 32

Mrs K. Daune - Curriculum Leader for MusicIt gives me great pleasure to introduce myself to you in advance of taking up the position of CurriculumLeader for music in January. My name is Kerry Daune and I am currently Assistant Director of Music at alarge high school in Lichfield. I trained as a first study singer at the Royal Academy of Music with violinand piano as my joint second study and qualified as a teacher at the Roehampton Institute. I completed

my Master’s Degree in Education through Staffordshire University in 2013. Iwork in a vibrant and busy music department where students performbiannually at Lichfield Cathedral, in community venues and at schoolconcerts. I was delighted to see such musicality, commitment and parentalsupport at your Christmas Concert last week which is a great testament tothe superb work of Mrs Stephens and all of the music department team. Ireally look forward to taking over and inheriting such a thriving departmentwhich I hope will continue to grow and positively impact and inspire manymore of our young students through music and the Arts curriculum. I wishMrs Stephens a very happy retirement and extend my good wishes to you allfor a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to seeing you in 2016.

Mrs K.Daune. B.Mus. (Hons), LRAM, MA (Education)

21

Blythe Bridge High School& Sixth Form

Evening Classes

Swim School and Evening Classes MONDAY 4.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Swimming Lessons 6.30 p.m. - 7.15 p.m. Family Swim 7.15 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. Lifesaving Class TUESDAY 4.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Swimming Lessons 6.30 p.m. - 7.15 p.m. Ladies only swim 7.15 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. Lifesaving Class WEDNESDAY 4.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Swimming Lessons 6.30 p.m. - 7.15 p.m. Adults only Swim 7.15 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. Lifesaving Class THURSDAY 4.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Swimming Lessons 6.30 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. Lifeguard Training FRIDAY 4.00 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. Duckling Class 4.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. Lifesaving class 6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m. North Staffs Special Olympics Swimming Club

NATIONAL POOLLIFEGUARD'SCOURSEWould you like to earn somemoney>Want a part-time job?What about becoming a PoolLifeguard?Suitable for Year 11 and SixthForm students (2015/16)Minimum requirements:

Swing 3 lengths under 1minute.

Swim 6 lengths on yourfront or back.

Tread water for 30seconds

Surface dive to thedeepest part of the pool

Climb out of the poolwithout the use of anyladders

Jump or dive into thepool

Places are still available for thisNational Pool Lifeguard Ccoursedue to run during the SpringTerm 2016. Anyone who isinterested should contact Mr S.Whittaker either at school orcall on 01782 392519.As 2015 draws to a close I wouldlike to wish all ours swimmers,lifesavers and parents a ‘veryHappy Christmas and bestwishes for the New Year’ andlook forward, as always, toseeing you in 2016.Our swimming programmeresumes on Monday 4th January2016.Seasons Greetings

Mr S. Whittaker

Swimming lessons are availablefor children aged 4 years andover.For further details pleasecontact: Mr S. Whittaker

22

Swan SportsYear 7 & 8 FootballThere have been several gamesthat have taken place over the lastfew months, particularly with theyear 7 and 8 football teams and wehave had some excellent

performances in the process. The year 7s have onlybeen together for around 9 weeks but have alreadyshown that they are capable of great things thisyear. Their first game took place against WindsorPark and the result was a fantastic 6-1 victory.There were many good performances to come outof this game, in particular Aaron Hand who wassuperb in creating many of the goals and also amention to Jay Smith who made some crucialsaves.This team also took part in a 5-a-side Futsoltournament at Fenton Manor, where many teamstook part and this was another good experience for

the boys. They managed to finish 3rd in their groupand it was another pleasing effort from all of theteam.The year 8 Team have been involved in several cupmatches this year, the English Schools Cup beingthe main focus this year. The boys performedsuperbly in reaching the third round and secured amemorable penalty shoot out win over BlessedWilliam Howard, in which Elliot Prime was the heroof the game, saving 2 penalties to help win theshoot-out 4-3. There was not such good news in theCounty Cup where, although the team battledhard, they were beaten 4-3 by a strong Wolstantonteam. Jay Boyles and Jack Gumbly were amongstthe goal scorers on this occasion. There will bemany more games for these teams to take part inand they will feel confident that they can keep upthe good work that they have already started inthe first term. Well done to all those involved.

Mr D. Smith

Netball News & Results 2015Netball club has been running after-school now since the start of theyear. I am pleased to say that wehave had high levels of participationacross all year groups. If you wouldstill like to join, any new memberswould be more than welcome.We have had many competitions so

far this year and our students have performedincredibly well, demonstrating a great level ofsportsmanship and desire to be as successful aspossible.

ResultsU16 – City Festival(13 teams entered) - Blythe Bridge High School &Sixth Form finished 1st

U16 – City tournament(11 teams entered) - Blythe Bridge High School &

Sixth Form finished 3rd

U14 – City Tournament(Group size = 7) - Blythe Bridge High School & SixthForm finished 3rd

U13 – City Festival(11 teams entered) – Blythe Bridge High School &Sixth Form won 3 matches and lost 3

Future Fixtures7th January – U12 City Netball Festival11th February – U12 City Netball Tournament25th February – U13 City Netball Tournament

County newsIt is with great pleasure that I share the fantasticnews that Francesca Robertson has been selected tojoin the U16 County Netball Team. Well done on thisexcellent achievement and we wish you all the bestfor your future competitions.

Miss T. Grigg

Girls’ football resultsThis year the Y7, 8 and 9 girls haveshown great dedication to football,and put in some excellentperformances in the county cupand English schools competitions.

U13’s county cupBlythe Bridge 5 v 7 Christchurch Academy

U14’s English schoolsBlythe Bridge 2 v 3 De Ferrers AcademyThe girls showed excellent determination, skill andteamwork in both games with some excellent playand goals being scored. Unfortunately Blythe werejust beaten in both games but we still have U15and U16 county cup games to look forward to.

Miss T. Grigg

23

the first term. Well done to all those involved.

During October half term, 35 Y8 and Y9 studentsmade their way to Arnhem in Holland for a footballtrip arranged by Mr Leech through Inspire Sports.After setting off from Blythe Bridge at 6am theyeventually arrived at their destination at 10pm UKtime. The small matter of a 16 hour coach andferry journey did nothing to dampen spirits orenthusiasm. Home for the weekend was The Dutchnational sports development centre Papendal.Papendal is also the training facility of the hostclub for the trip Vitesse Arnhem, housing the club'straining ground and youth development set up. Thefacility was completed and opened in the first halfof 2013, funded by Chelsea owner RomanAbramovic. Our students were lucky enough totrain at the facility with sessions being led bymembers of the Vitesse Arnhem coaching staff.Over the course of the weekend our three teamsall played 2 games each. Unfortunately our Y9'sdidn't manage to get a victory but put in two

performances that showed plenty of character.After loosing their first game the Y8's put in astrong performance in the 2nd game and cameaway with a victory. Our girls team lost their firstgame but then bounced back with a fantasticperformance to get a draw against a boys team.Despite varying degrees of success, the experienceof playing football in a different country againststrong opposition will no doubt prove invaluable.Our trip also coincided with the biggest Dutchgame of the weekend, Vitesse V Ajax. Our hostsnot only showed us around the fantasticGelreDome, but also provided us with tickets forthe big game. Unfortunately, our adopted club lost1-3 to top-of-the league table Ajax.A big thank you must go to Mr Leech for organisingthe trip, Mrs Owen, Mr Smith and Miss Taylor formanaging the teams, and Inspire Sports and theVitesse staff for looking after us so well.

Mr D. Edwards

Our Y9's ready to get down to business

Vitesse Arnhem Trip

24

New Courses for the Sixth FormStudent feedback and the success of many of ourYear 11 learners in GCSE Religious Studies andGCSE History have led us to offer several new AS/ALevel courses for September 2016.AS/A Level Classical Studies will give students a

taste of ancientGreek andRoman cultureand civilisation;AS/A LevelPhilosophy willenable them todevelop theirskills of criticalthinking andargumentation;and AS/A LevelReligious Studies

will get them thinking about the importance ofethical behaviour and also allow them to grapplewith questions of existence, suffering and purpose.We are also keen to develop further our creative

and artistic students and plan to offer BTECPerforming Arts from September 2016.

University LifeOn 10th November, Mr Cooke and Head Boy,Matthew Porter, took up an invitation from the Cityof Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College to takeparticipate in an interview master class. The class,run by an admissions tutor and two students fromOxford University, provided both teacher andlearner with a very valuable opportunity to learnmore about the Oxford and Cambridge admissions

process and to get to grips with some of themore thorny and taxing questions often asked

during a university admissions interview. (Mr Cookealso enjoyed the delicious cake on offer!).

Sixth Form Open Evening (21stOctober 2015)This year’s Sixth Form Open Evening was a greatsuccess and was well attended by our Year 11students and their parents and guardians. OurSixth Form teachers were on hand to providedetailed advice and guidance on the optionsavailable for AS/A Levels and BTECqualifications, support on possible career routesand course combinations for possible Sixth Formstudy from September 2016. There was also theopportunity for Year 11 students to talk to currentSixth Form students, who were helping on theevening. As well as academic support, informationwas available on the wide range of enrichmentactivities offered at Sixth Form. Various displays,performances and presentations also ensured thatall who came got to glimpse some of the impressivework currently being undertaken by our hard-working Sixth Formers.

Mock ExamsThe Sixth Form mock examinations will takeplace between January 11th - 22nd. Allstudents should have received an individualtimetable with dates, times and locations ofeach of their exams. Student will need toensure that they bring a black pen, pencil,eraser, pencil sharpener and ruler along withany subject specific equipment in a clearpencil case.

Health and Social Care NewsTo assist the Year 12 and 13 students with theirHealth and Social Care Unit 27 work on‘Challenging Behaviour and the practicalimplications in Health and Social Care settings’, MrA. Leese Assistant Head gave a guest lecture onhow to manage challenging behaviour in variousforms within a secondary school setting and relatedthis to Blythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form'scurrent policies regarding behaviour. The lecturewas very informative and and enabled the Healthand Social Care students to have a betterunderstanding of how educational professionalscould and do manage challenging behaviour whilstabiding by the legal restrictions laid out by Britishlaw.The students and myself would like to thank Mr A.Leese for his specialised knowledge and support.

Mrs N. Clarke

Sixth Form News

25e

Futures DayOn Thursday 14th January Year 11 students will beinvolved in a ‘Futures Day’ event. This will takeplace in Lessons 3-5 and will involve a number ofactivities and sessions designed to provide Year 11students with further advice regarding Year 12progression and future career and study pathways.Year 11 students will have the opportunity to takepart in a number of relevant, specially designed,Sixth Form taster lessons, as well as career anduniversity sessions. They will also pick up theirformal mock examination results in time forProgress Evening later that day. A letter providingfurther information about this event has beengiven to year 11 students.

Sixth Form ApplicationsIt is pleasing to report that Year 11 students arethinking seriously about their futures and thatmany have made or are in the process of makingan application to our Sixth Form. At the time ofprint, we have received over 80 applications forSeptember 2016!

Informative talk given by theAssistant Chief Constable ofStaffordshire PoliceThe Assistant Chief Constable of StaffordshirePolice vsitied the Sixth Form Centre on Monday,7th December to talk to students about the role ofthe Police and, importantly for those studentslooking for non-university employment pathways,what skills, aptitudes and abilities the police lookfor in potential applicants.Students were given the opportunity to askquestions about policing in Staffordshire and werealso asked to feedback to the Assistant Chief

Constable about how they felt about local policingand crime.After the event, a number of the students saidthat they were particularly interested to hearabout how the police are dealing with cyber andInternet crimes. They also commented that it wasuseful to learn that the police employ a largenumber of skilled police staff as well as the moretraditional police constables.

The Christmas Tree2015

The Year 7 Christmas tree is made from recycledChristmas trees and adorned with handmadedecorations created by Year 7 students.In recent weeks it has been displayed in the mainfoyer. It will be moved to St. Peter's Church,Forsbrook for Christmas.

26

Sixth Form Council News

A Level History VisitOn the 23rd September Y12students visited the site ofthe Battle of Bosworth Field.During this day, studentswere given a guidedbattlefield tour, visited themuseum and took part in amedieval warfare workshop.This visit assisted students inanswering one of thehistorical questions in theirAS course, " Why did RichardIII lose the Battle ofBosworth?" Richard III wasfamously killed in this battlein 1485 which brought an endto the Plantagenet dynasty.Another consequence of thisbattle was that it saw thebeginning of one of England'smost famous royal

families...the Tudors.Mr B. Tomasik

Sixth form students and staff dressed up astheir heroes for Children in Need on Friday,13th November, donating money in theprocess. There were a wide range of costumesfrom Thor to Spiderman, soldiers to JamesBond and two Harley Quinns as well as manyothers. A cake sale was held at break andlunch and the money made was added to theschool total.

Beth White, Sydney Trotman, Hannah Thirlwall and Gabriela Frey

Total raised by the schoolthis year

£988.39

27

Sixth Form and University Life

It was really nice to see all the different things that go on atuniversity and in particular what the lessons (seminars) could belike. Compared to high school it seems like there is a lot morechoice and freedom where you can walk around and be involvedin a lot of activities and see people. I liked seeing the sportsarea as that's what I'm interested in and this whole trip mademe more likely to go to university.

Sam Copeland Y12

On November 10thY12 students went toBirmingham

University for a campus visit. Thiswas a brilliant opportunity to visita Russell Group top rateduniversity (18th in the GoodUniversity Guide 2016). Duringthe day they toured the campus,learnt more about the universityprocess, undertook a budgetingand finance exercise and had achemistry seminar. The studentswere able to visit key parts of thecampus, depending on theircurrent plans, and ask questionsspecific to their interests.Leading on from this we will nowbe interviewing each Y12 studentabout their plans in order tospecialise the advice andinformation they are givenleading up to Y13 and the UCASprocess.

Mrs K. Baines

University of Birmingham

Chemistry Seminar

28

Romina AlessandraMongelos Dominguezreflects on herexperiences as anoverseas student.Paraguay is a country in SouthAmerica. The capital isAsuncion and we have twoofficial languages which areSpanish and Guarani. The

second has been the official language since theconstitution of 1992. The Paraguayan economy isgrowing and we are the largest American exporterof electric power, 4th largest exporter of soya and5th largest exporter of beef.A few differences between England and Paraguayare the weather because in Paraguay we have moreheat than cold. In winter the coldest temperaturethat we have is five degrees and we also don’thave snow like England. Another big difference isthe security: here in England you can be on thestreets in the evening. In Paraguay, you must notbe on the streets, even in the morning, alonebecause there’s always someone looking forsomeone else to steal from. Most of the countriesof South America are not safe like countries inEurope. Also a difference that I found is the

people. I’m not saying I don’t like them, butthey’re all so reserved and in Paraguay it is totallyopposite because they don’t care about anything;if they want to talk to you, they will no matteryour sex, colour, likes, preferences or anything.However, I like all the people I have met so far.Other things are the outputs like here at weekendspeople are all in their houses doing nothing; in thestreet there are no cars, no people and in Paraguayon weekends the people are so loud and theyalways go out and come back late. I mean in thisrespect Paraguay is a cheerful country.About school, university and college there’s also alot of differences. In my country you have to payfor everything at school, college and university.Here in England you just have to pay for universitywhich I think is one of the best things of England.And to finish one of the things that I don’t reallylike about Paraguay is that there’s so many poorpeople in the streets and until now I never saw anyin England. Also my host father told me that thegovernment pays everything to them, most of all ifthey have children.However; I like both countries. Like everythingthey have good and bad things, but all of this Ithink it’s good because it helps me to learn moreabout life, cultures, people, languages and allother things.

Sixth Form News UCAS UpdateEarly submission to the University Application Service (UCAS) has resulted in our hardworking Y13students being made offers for undergraduate places at some of the country’s finest universities.Offers are coming in thick and fast and will continue to be made up until Easter next year. However,even at this very early stage, we are able to give you a flavour of the types of offers our ambitiousYear 13’s are currently receiving:

Megan West - Adult NursingOffers so far from…Staffordshire University &Wolverhampton University

Ben Lee - Dance & DramaAuditions so far atLiverpool Hope University &Manchester MetropolitanUniversity

Dan Davies - Business ManagementOffers so far fromSwansea University,University of Surrey andUniversity of Liverpool

Matthew Porter - HistoryOffers from;Warwick University,Exeter University,Lancaster University andKeele University.Interviews at St. Annes, OxfordUniversity in December

Jack Goodwin - ChemistryOffers from Leeds University,Keele University &Loughboroug University

Amelia Armstrong - Medicinal ChemistryOffers so far from Keele University,Loughborough University,Salford University &Nottingham Trent University

Neve Taylor - SociologyOffers so far from the University of Manchester, SheffieldUniversity, Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University

29

Year 12 Geography Field TripHannah Thirwall Y12 reflects on this field trip...

'On the 16th and 17thNovember 2015 the Year 12Geography group embarkedon a two day trip to Betws-y-Coed in North Wales tostudy the Afon Conwy andthe surrounding area.On the first day we went tothe source of the river toinvestigate river processesand features. We aimed toinvestigate if the cross-sectional area of the riverchanged downstream andwhy this occurs, if so,investigating bedrock,velocity, wetted perimeter,gradient and other featuresand processes. We carriedout fieldwork at the river,making sure to evaluate anyunavoidable limitations aswell as consideringinterrelationships betweenriver variables. We are also now able to describe and explain how different landforms are created andmodified.On the second day we went to Llanwrst, an area situated next to the river. We investigated differentflood management strategies that the area had adopted to cope with the high flood risk, such as DutchDams and Flood Plain Zonation. Llanrwst has a very high risk of flooding and due to the fact that duringthe February 2004 floods the area wasn't covered by the automatic voice messaging (AMV) system, whichmeant that the area didn't receive any warning of the flood, which caused a large amount of damage.They since decided to defend the area. At one point the depth of the river reached nine metres.'The Field Studies Council and Centre in Betws-y-Coed provide an excellent outdoor education course insupport of our AS Level Geography Scheme of Work. As a consequence, our A level students performbetter than other centres across the country on the fieldwork aspect of their skills paper.

Miss L. Horobin

Sixth Form News

TopAttendees in

the SixthForm

Congratulations to thefollowing students formaintaining highattendance andpunctuality in the SixthForm this term:

1st James Lowe Y13 97.58%2nd Connor Thomson Y12 96.77%3rd Ryan Brammer Y12 95.97%4th Samuel Copeland Y12 95.97%5th Alistair Corbishley Y12 95.97%6th Katie Chandler Y13 95.97%7th Reece Berrisford Y13 95.16%8th Callum Bloore Y12 94.35% Liam Bloore Y12 Caleb Bosworth Y13 Finley Kidd Smither Y12 Lewis Tinsley Y12

30

Director of Business &Finance December Newsletter

UpdateSchool Catering ServicesOur newsletters update you about thefantastic food which we have on offer to

all of our students on a daily basis. Our soups arehomemade every day and the staff and studentabsolutely love the variety of flavours which wehave on offer, from butternut squash and chilli tomushroom; hearty vegetable soup to spiced parsnipand apple.We thought we would share one of our “winterwarmer” recipes with you!

Parsnip & Apple Soup(Amend your portion size accordingly otherwiseyou will have enough to feed all of Santa’s

Helpers!)2lb vegetable stock

100g butter1 kg parsnips500g apples300g onions

5g curry powder2g mace

2g ground coriander10g crushed garlic

200ml semi skimmed-milk30g chopped chives

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add theparsnip, apple and onion, cookuntil soft. Add the spices andgarlic. Add the stock andsimmer for one hour or until theparsnips are soft. Add the milkand bring back to the heat at asimmer, do not boil. Garnishwith chives.

Enjoy with a warm homemade crusty wholemealroll!

Health & SafetyPlease remember to keep up-to-date with schoolHealth & Safety news via the school website, if youwould like to access the parent portal, whichenables you to view letters sent home and other

important information regarding your child,

please contact Mrs Procter on 01782 392519 for ausername and password.I would like to remind all students to take care inour community when travelling to and from school,remembering road safety in particular at the trainlines on Uttoxeter Road. Please do not try to runover the train lines as the barriers are closing!I will keep parents informed of important anduseful information via the newsletter and theschool

Emergency School ClosuresJust to keep all parents/guardians/students up todate, over the winter months we will continue tooperate our Emergency School Closure Procedurein line with County guidance. We will only closethe school in an emergency which we cannotovercome. In the event of adverse weather,consideration will be given to pathways, steps andslopes around the school, conditions of local roadsand public transport, school heating and thegeneral health & safety of our students and staff.Where a decision is made to close the school wewill inform parents, by 7am, in the following way:Via the Staffordshire County Council EmergencySchool Closures Website:www.staffordshire.gov.uk/schoolclosuresLocal radio StationsText directly home to parents/carersMessage to parents/carers on our school websiteParents can now sign up for a new free service atwww.staffordshire.gov.uk/CustomerAlerts. Thisprovides parents with a smart phone version ofschool closures if you do not have access to a PC oripad. Once we have alerted Staffordshire CountyCouncil that our school will be closed parents willreceive a free text and email directly.

INTERNAL JOB VACANCIESBULLETIN

We are looking to appoint enthusiastic andmotivated individuals to join our school supportstaff.

Catering AssistantGrade 2 £7.11 p/h

Typically, hours of work will initially be 10am until2pm on Friday (1 permanent hour per day and 3hours variable, subject to change, per day).The successful candidate will ideally haveexperience of working within a kitchenenvironment, be able to assist in the preparation,serving and clearing away of the school lunch andadhere to all Food Safety Regulations.

Other news / Information for Parents / Guardians

31

Day Time CleanerGrade 1 (£6.45 per hour)

4pm-5pm (1 hour per day – this may be subject to

change/additional hours)Casual Contract

Part Time Swimming Instructor (mustbe qualified)

Monday & Thursday4pm – 6.30pm

Hourly Rate to be agreed

We are looking to recruit a dedicated professional,qualified instructor to work alongside our Teacher'sand Lifeguards at the after school swimmingsessions.The application forms (non-teaching) are availableon the school website

www.blythebridge.staffs.sch.uk. Job descriptionsare available upon request.‘Students' conduct around school is sensible, calmand orderly. Students are polite, helpful andconsiderate.’ Ofsted 2014.The closing date for this position is Monday 11thJanuary 2016 at 10am.All applications should be returned to Mrs WKeeble, Director of Business & Finance.This school is committed to safeguarding andpromoting the welfare of children and youngpeople/vulnerable adults and expect all staff andvolunteers to share this commitment.This position is subject to an Enhanced Disclosurecheck under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act1974. Further details regarding this check areavailable from schools or by visitingwww.homeoffice.gov.uk/dbs.

Mrs W. Keeble, Director of Business andOperations

Having successfully launched our online learningrevision resources to our year 11 students, we arenow extending this innovative approach to learningto all of our year 10 students as this will allowthem more flexibility with their revision, using thetechnology already present in their pockets.An assembly has been delivered to show them howto access this online resource via our VLE Frog,where they will find over 3,500 teacher-written,audio-visual podcasts produced specifically formobile devices and containing all the facts,quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagramsthat learners need for GCSE success. The podcastscan then be viewed on mobiles, tablets and PCsand downloaded for offline viewing. The podcastsare also mapped to the curriculum and are

designed tosupport students in the classroom, with theirhomework and during exam time.Teachers can set homework on the site using the“Assignment” feature as GCSEPod has already beenproven to have a significant impact on A*-Cperformance and we aim to make it an integralpart of learning for every GCSE student studying atthe school.We recommend that you discuss this e-learningresource with your son or daughter, ensure thatthey have correct login details to enter the siteand encourage them to make use of the resourceto complement their revision program.

Learning Technology Team

SOCIALNETWORKSTo improve parental engagementand communication further, wehave been developing our socialnetworks this year. You can now

find us on Twitter (@Blythehigh), Facebook or

simply download our free school app (available oniPhone, android and Windows phones with a web-based control panel). These are powerful tool forsharing information from our curriculumdepartments, collaborating and letting everyone inthe school community know what has been goingon at school.This is particularly great for parents on the move,so please ensure you follow us!

32

Blythe Bridge High School & Sixth Form, Cheadle Road, Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire ST11 9PWTel: 01782 392519

www.blythebridge.staffs.sch.uk

Wishing you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.Term starts

Monday, January 4th 2016 at 8.35 a.m

Transition -Record Numberof Applications

Staffordshire School Admissions havereported record number again applyingfor places at Blythe Bridge High School& Sixth Form. By the closing date of31st October, School Admissions hadreceived 318 applications as eitherfirst, second or third choice for entry inSeptember 2016. I anticipated thiswould be yet again a large cohort ofstudents and this is a furtherdemonstration of the school reputationwithin the local community.Parents will receive notification onTuesday 1st March 2016. They will thenhave 10 working days to either acceptor decline the offer. Parents wishing to

appeal the decision of School Admissions are reminded thatthey must do so through their own specific Education Authority

although they can seek advice from ourselves tosupport this process.Parents will be contacted by myself in early Marchregarding key transition dates and arrangements forSeptember.’

Year 4 Olympic Legacy Day: Wednesday 22nd June 2016Year 5 Maths Puzzle Day: Tuesday 28th June 2016Year 6 New Intake Day: Thursday 30th June 2016Year 6 Language for Literacy/ National poetry Day: Friday 1st July 2016Year 6 Preparation Evening: Monday 4th July 2016Year 6 Familiarisation Days: Mon 4th & Tues 5th July 2016 (nominated students only)Year 5 Physics Fest: Wednesday 6th July 2016 (nominated students only)

Mr A. Jackson - Director of Transition and VocationalLearning

Young EnterpriseUpdate

Since the last newsletter the YoungEnterprise team ‘Endeavour’ have been hardat work; they have now confirmed theirproduct idea and decided on the logo andbranding. The product idea is always thechallenge with Young Enterprise and manyideas have been going around this group butthey finally decided on the theme of clocks.The product range will include a make-your-own-clock kit for children and customisedclocks.As part of the competition, they haveattended the first event, the ‘Dragons Den’.This was held on Wednesday 18th Novemberat Michelin. Four members of the teamattended the event: Sam Sarikaya (ManagingDirector), Ellen Cuerden (Assistant ManagingDirector), Joe Andrews – Crowe (Marketingand Operations Director) and Alex Edwards(Finance Director). In preparation for theevent the students had to prepare a four

minute pitch to a panel of ‘Dragons’. These includedrepresentatives from Michelin and Wedgwood. The pitchwent very well and the feedback from the ‘Dragons’ wasvery positive.The team will now move on to the production of theclocks to sell both inside and outside of school on the runup to Christmas. Mrs L. Pollitt