Putting the summer newsletter together always coincides with the exam period in schools and it serves as a timely reminder to me that within the Trust we have to look at student achievement in its very widest sense. Of course the exams are important and we are quietly confident that despite all the national uncertainties the results in the summer at both Holyrood and Axe Valley will again be causes for celebration. Indeed I would go as far as to say that the academic success of our students is the most important thing for which we are responsible. However, all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy as they say and if Jack were a student at either school that would simply not be good enough. It is fantastic therefore to be able to read within this newsletter about the many and varied achievements of our students.

I enjoy hearing the feedback from the countless trips and visits that we offer and the tales that come back from the record number of students we now have out on expedition as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. We have always placed a big emphasis on Sport and as you can see this continues to go from strength to strength but we should also recognise the contribution made by our Art, our Drama and our Music departments. Equally pleasing though are the articles written by some of the other subject areas that can often easily be overlooked in publications such as this one. What I see within these pages are students enjoying their learning and because of the wide variety of activities available to them across the board, increasing numbers of them finding that special thing that they are good at. From the Trust’s perspective what is particularly pleasing is that we are now able to celebrate these achievements at Axe Valley too.

I would like to thank you for your continued support of all things Holyrood and to those of you who have taken an interest in how the wider business of the Vector Learning Trust continues to develop. I hope you have a fantastic summer and that the students return in September relishing the fresh challenges and exciting opportunities that await them.

Martin Brook, CEO Vector Learning Trust

Have you got Twitter? Follow @HolyroodAcademy for on-the-spot news and photos of all things Holyrood!

As we near the end of another academic year I would like to thank you all for your support and positivity and to wish you well for the summer – many of you will of course be looking forward to the days that examination results are published in August, perhaps with a few nerves! I have completed a year as Headteacher at Holyrood and still feel as enthused and positive about all things Holyrood as I did a year ago – simply being in the dining hall at break time or dropping in to lessons makes me reflect on what a privilege it is to be the leader of such a fantastic Academy.

NEWSLETTERSUMMER

2017

It has been a positive year and we are once again expecting excellent results in the summer. There will be many opportunities to recognise individual achievements and to offer congratulations but I want to let you all know that the effort and hard work seen this year has been incredible and the success that will inevitably follow is richly deserved. The results will be published and available at the Academy on Thursday 17th August for A levels and the following week on Thursday 24th August for GCSE results – details will be on the website.

This year has been packed full of events of many different types – Academy life is not all about exams! As I write this it is hot outside and Bronze and Gold DofE practice expeditions are out; the pictures on Twitter look fantastic! We are ready for Sports Day – let’s hope the weather is on our side again this year; this also sees the launch of the new house system which is a really exciting next step in our development. There are numerous successes to tell you about, our students continue to excel in the world of the academic, sporting, creative and community … please read this newsletter to find out more.

We have some colleagues leaving us at the end of this year so I would like to wish them well and every happiness in their new ventures.

I wish all of you a restful and enjoyable summer break and offer my thanks once again for your contribution to making Holyrood an Academy that we can all be very proud of being a part of.

Matt Collins, Headteacher AUTUMN TERM 2017Years 7 and 12: Wednesday 6th September - Thursday 21st December

Years 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13: Thursday 7th September - Thursday 21st DecemberHalf Term Monday 23rd - Friday 27th October

NGLISHE

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YEAR 7 students have been researching local, national and international charities and a variety of worthy causes. They have been learning how to write persuasively and have penned letters to a local entrepreneur in a bid to get her to donate to the charity of their choice. More recently, over four hundred years since the playwright’s death in 1616, students have begun their study of William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, learning about the plights of the luckless lovers, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena, and the mischievous prankery of the fairies, Oberon and Puck.

YEAR 8 began the summer term by studying promotional travel writing, reading brochures and leaflets on desirable holiday destinations, and narrative travel writing, analysing extracts from different authors where they describe their journeys through some of the world’s most exotic locations. Since half-term, Year 8 have been working in ‘editorial teams’ in English producing their own teen magazines, reading and analysing different types of magazine articles to help write their own. Teachers have been treated to passionate reviews of students’ favourite films and computer games, step-by-step advice articles on topics such as ‘How to Instagram’ and ‘How to colour your eyebrows’, and revealing interviews with a diverse range of celebrities, from Kim Kardashian to Gareth Bale.

YEAR 9 have been studying the ancient art of rhetoric in preparation for writing their own speech near the end of term. The purpose of this is to prepare them for the GCSE speaking and listening component. This GCSE component is a separate qualification and students are issued with a certificate stating whether they have achieved a pass, merit or distinction for the course at the end of Year 11.

YEAR 10 have been studying non-fiction texts focussing on the theme of prisons. They have been considering the legal and ethical issues surrounding how a society deals with criminal behaviour. The purpose of this unit of work was to prepare them for their mock exam in June.

YEAR 11 have, of course, been preparing for their final exams. As a department, we have been very impressed by their hard work and positive attitude. The majority of students have been happy with the exam questions so fingers crossed for results day! Best of luck for the future, Year 11! You are the first cohort to have sat a completely new exam with completely new grading criteria. You have approached this challenge with great tenacity and we are very proud of you.

ENGLISH LITERATURE A LEVELYear 12 have begun studying the gritty, brutal, yet absorbing ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, a novel from 2006, for their coursework. Meanwhile, they are studying ‘Twelfth Night’ by the great William Shakespeare, one of their core exam texts. The group had the opportunity to attend a workshop at The Globe theatre in London, in which they got to grips with some of the complexities of iambic pentameter and its impact upon performance. This was followed by a matinee performance of the play, in which the events were brought forward to 1979 and set on a cruise ship (part of Emma Rice’s farewell season as Artistic Director of The Globe). The camp camaraderie of the setting highlighted the futility of being melancholy about love, and a good time was had by all.

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COMPETITIONSThe Learning Centre has been working with the English department on some exciting competitions this term. ‘Opening Lines’ proved very popular amongst Year 8 for the second year running. Students were asked to write the opening line to a novel and design a front cover.1st - Johannes Huntley 8/8: “I wish you weren’t reading this, it’s my deepest, darkest secret.” 2nd - Spencer White 8/1: “This is a puzzle, and I know exactly how to solve it.” Highly Commended - Matthew Ingham 8/6: “My name is Jack, and this is my story of how they came and changed everything.” Best cover design - Barnaby Willis 8/1

Our ‘Word Wonderland’ competition saw students from Years 7 and 8 creating a setting for a story in 100 words or less. Despite the challenging word limit, the entries were of a very high standard, with 1st place awarded to Megan Winch 7/1 for her outstanding submission, which not only set the scene in 100 words, but gave us a complete short story!

WORD WONDERLAND - by Megan Winch 7/1Her den was in the corner of the room. She walks to it, climbs under the ‘roof’ and settles herself into a comfortable position. She looks around.The ‘roof’ consisted of a couple of woolly blankets. The wool was bobbly with age. They were both once red, but age had faded them to a dull pink. In her eyes, however, she didn’t see a couple of dull blankets. In her eyes she saw an ebony night sky, studded with stars, lit up like fireflies. The sky seemed to stretch out for ever. On the ground of her den was a ripped tarpaulin sheet. But she saw a sapphire blue ocean. The ocean rolled, white horses whispering to each other. The den was different in her mind.

BOOK CLUBSGirls Only Book Club, (affectionately known as ‘GOB’) kicked off the term reading Jessica’s Ghost by Andrew Norris. It prompted lively debate and in-depth discussion around subjects such as bullying, depression, understanding, and the importance of building strong friendships. Our next book is Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Meanwhile, ‘BOB’ (Boys Only Book Club) finished reading Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen, for which we talked about themes of love, loyalty and sacrifice. We are now reading We Are All Made Of Molecules by Susin Nielsen, and will soon be meeting to discuss it over cake and juice.

CARNEGIE SHADOWINGGirls from Year 8 and above have taken part in Carnegie Shadowing again this year. This involves reading the 8 novels from the Carnegie Medal shortlist, and meeting to discuss what they enjoyed and disliked about each. Despite lots of discussion the students have not identified a clear winner but will no doubt have a lot to say about the judges’ final choice.

INTO FILM CLUB…says farewell to Michael RoweInto Film Club says farewell to Michael who has been a member of film club for 4 years. In that time Michael wrote 37 online film reviews which were posted to a national Into Film Club website.Michael has been a popular member and has looked after the younger students as they joined the club. Michael was invited back by Into Film Club members so they could have a farewell party and watch Michael’s choice of film – Hairspray. Michael was interviewed by a Year 7 member about his membership of the club.Into Film Club is free and meets after school on a Thursday to watch PG and 12/12A films.

Interview with Michael Rowe Year 11 – Film Club MemberHow long have you been a member of Film Club? 4 years

What happens at Film Club? We watch a film and then write a review about why we liked or didn’t like the film.What are the best things about Film Club?

The trips out, because it is great fun!Which is your favourite film that you have seen at Film Club?

Hairspray because it is a musical and I also enjoyed the way it used music.Which is the worse film you have seen at Film Club (and why)?

None. I have loved every film.Why do you think students should join Film Club?

It is a good experience to have a chill with your friends and put away school life.What are your all-time favourite films?

Ghost Busters, Twilight, Meet The Fockers, Monsters University and Labyrinth.

MENTALLY HEALTHY SCHOOLThe Learning Centre staff have been working hard to launch a new subject ‘area’, which encompasses books for staff and

students about, child development, stress management, mental health awareness and promoting positive body image and

overall happiness. These books are available to read informally on the sofas around the coffee table in the Learning Centre.

Michael Rowe

ATHSM

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MILLFIELD MATHS CHALLENGE

In March, eight of Holyrood’s finest mathematicians from Year 10 and Year 11 participated in a series of challenging mathematical tests at the annual Millfield Maths Challenge. Our students fought hard for their well-deserved places of 8th and 9th out of 14 teams from both state and private schools across the region.Mr Macdonald said, “As always, the themed rounds were Group, Fizz Buzz, Head-to-Head, Relay and Speed. Our students tackled questions on a huge variety of topics, including extremely jaunty angles and Fibonacci Sequences, holding their own and staying focused throughout. The enthusiasm and confidence that they showed was a credit to the Academy and their ability to solve Maths questions under pressure was outstanding!”

HOUSE OF MATHS

Also in March, students were treated to an energetic visit from Barney Maunder-Taylor from the House of Maths. The talented magician/mathematician presented a Mathematical Master Class to the whole of Years 7 and 8. Barney, an Oxford University graduate and a former Countdown champion impressed the students with a number of mathematical puzzles and facts.Using volunteers from the audience, Barney was able to show students how to calculate magic numbers at speed, predict the weight of a human head and how to juggle different 3D shapes amongst other things in his whirlwind show. In the afternoon, some of Holyrood’s most gifted and talented Year 7 and 8 students were then invited to take part in a workshop where they performed experiments and started to discover the Normal Distribution.An enjoyable time was had by all and Barney has already stated he will return to Holyrood in the future!”

Team A (L-R): Gaby Lang, Maddy Porter, Sophie Winch and Aggie Evans at work

Team B (L-R): Toby McDonald, Rei Yamada, Jess Long, Abby Pridden

DARTS CLUB…every Tuesday innnnnnnnnnnn S1!The Maths department ran a darts competition from Christmas to Easter where students (and staff!) were invited to throw 6 darts and score 101 points or more (just like the final round of the old TV programme Bullseye…if you’re old enough to remember!).Well done to the Year group winners:

Year 7 - Joe ‘Bullseye’ Burton (148)

Year 8 - Gabe ‘The Legend’

Larter Webber (126)

Year 9 - Sam ‘Money’

Moulding (197)

Year 10 - Lewis ‘Showtime’ Singleton

(164)

Year 11 - Shane ‘Big Dog’ Brand

(165)

ATHSM

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The final leader board for the ‘Can’t beat a bit of bully’ 101 or more darts competition 2016/2018 is as follows. Well done to Sam ‘Money’ Moulding for recording the highest 6 dart score this year. The competition will restart in September! Good arrows to all that have taken part!

Well done to Warren Bowditch in 7/2 who won the “Bullseyes in a Minute” competition with a whopping score of 6 bullseyes in 60 seconds! Warren won a Domino’s pizza for this fantastic achievement. Look out for more darts competitions on the student bulletin next year!

Well done to Miss King who hit the check-out of the term with an impressive triple double to get 62 (treble 10, double 16)!

Student NameSam Moulding 197

Warren Bowditch 180Lily Ingarfield 165

Lewis Singleton 164Leo dela Rosa 159German Wong 156Joao Ribeiro 153Gaby Lang 152Joe Burton 148Leah Allen 140Matt Ivers 138

Reece Gough 137

Torie Conachie 135Millie Langham 133Seth Stanbury 132

Ty Farley 131Luke Young 130

Callum Chard 130Tom Conroy 127Raf Fowler 127Neil Govier 127

Nadine Holland 123Niall Crouch 123Ryan Smith 121

Michal Bochenski 120

Gabe Larter Webber 120Tom Hallett 119

Lauren Turner 118Ollie Agathocleous 118Goncalo Courinha

Marques 118Erin Martin 117Ilyas Khan 117Jamie Cox 117

Brandon Knight 115Martha Lambert 115Alfie Robbins 114

Nathan Whaites 112Charlie Greenway 112

Arron Richards 111Hannah Eke 111Megan Sitton 107Josh Lewis 107Katie Clark 106

Alice Barnes 105Keenan Dunn 105Amelie Hoppie 103Erin McQueen 102Pete Burgess 102

Charlie Clifford 102Tom Woods 101

Sadie Mountstephens 101

Staff NameMr Macdonald 211Mr Hodgson 206

Mr Fish 186Mrs Challis 148Mr Brook 145Mr Roper 143Mr Perry 143

Mr Whelen 140Miss Cross 117Mr Locker 117Mr Slinger 112

Mr Forrester 107Mr Collins 106Mr Barker 106

Mrs Davison 103

CALCULATORS - A reminder to ALL studentsThe Maths department expects you to have a calculator as part of your equipment that you bring to school every day. You are required to bring your calculator to EVERY Maths lesson. Calculators can be purchased through school and via the school website – speak to your Maths teacher before the summer holidays or when we start back in the new school year to arrange the purchase of a calculator.

JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE – RESULTS!

GOLDVikki Cox

Tasmin Legg

SILVEROllie Saxby

Matthew GreenCaitlin Russell

Delilah Salway RobertsWilf ParryAlfie JonesMillie Smith

Reuben GonzalezBarnaby WillisMaxwell BrooksTheana Koike

Isabelle Trotter

BRONZESerena Walker

Tyler FarleyLaura Glenn

Zachary RobothamBen MargettsLewis GriffithsGracie Owen

Nathan WoottenIsaac Stanbury

Tamsin MckerrowMaia Henley

Ashton SpirrellEllis Macdonald

Zak FearnEmily Smith

James WildingRebecca Leivers

Lottie Berry

EOGRAPHYG

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Almost the end to another school year and …YEAR 7 have had an excellent first year within Geography and have shown to be developing into fantastic geographers. Their enthusiasm in particular for earthquakes and volcanoes has shone with an array of imaginative 3D models and cakes. Mr Gilbert has also this term run a successful session with a number of students completing orienteering activities around the school site.

YEAR 9 students are now 2 units into their GCSE content for their exam having studied Distinctive Landscapes and now looking at the UK in the 21st Century.

YEAR 10’s are preparing themselves for a day’s fieldwork to Holford Brook on the Quantocks in the penultimate week of term. Here they will investigate river processes and features from source to mouth measuring the river’s velocity, cross section and bedload. Mr Gilbert always recommends wellies for the “trip” (he tripped in the river a few years ago while demonstrating a fieldwork technique)!

Our YEAR 11 students have sat their final exams and I say a fond (and sad) farewell to them as they embark on the next stage of their education. They have been a fantastic group of geographers though I am really glad to hear I shall be seeing many of them back at Holyrood to study A Level Geography.

YEAR 12 Geographers are well underway with their Individual Investigation and will use the summer to collect evidence for the title they have chosen. For our current Year 11 and 12 students we have a very exciting trip planned for March 2018 to Iceland where we have been a number of times before and it is a fabulous opportunity to visit a country which embraces its geography. We shall be visiting a number of spectacular waterfalls, volcanoes, swimming in the Blue Lagoon and visiting the divide between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Further information can be obtained from Mr Gilbert or Mrs Hough.

Holford Brook

Again we have had to say goodbye to a superb group of students with our YEAR 13s now having finished their exams. A number of them are taking their

passion for Geography further at University but from all the Geography teachers at Holyrood I wish each of you the best in your future

pursuits and careers.

Fond Memories!

ISTORYH

6

YEAR 7 this half term have been learning about the First World War and the sacrifices made by men from our community. The students used their core knowledge of trench warfare to examine contemporary accounts on the conditions. We were impressed with their insightful questions and observations, and this thirst for knowledge continued into their enrichment project. Using the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website some of the students investigated the role of their own relatives, whilst others continued to explore the lives of those who enlisted from Chard.This year’s ‘Trench Cake Competition’ had some fantastic entries, with designs for both British and German trench systems- they were almost too good to eat!

THE HUNDRED CLUBWell done to all the Year 7s and 8s who managed to successfully complete 100/100 in their end of year exam! Too many names to list but the department was delighted and very impressed with the hard work and enthusiasm which went into learning this core knowledge.

CONGRATULATIONS TO: Lewis Griffiths, Year 8

Lewis is the first student to be awarded our Arthur Hull’s Young Historian Award. Lewis has worked exceptionally hard over the last two years, achieved and excelled his targets on numerous occasions and confidently represented the department at the Menin Gate in March.If you want to understand where the name for our award comes from, please wonder up Chard High Street and visit Chard Museum!

SELF-QUIZZINGA huge amount of time has been invested into the new GCSE resources and we are thrilled to already be seeing them put to good use. Our Year 9 and 10 students are securing their subject knowledge, whilst forming invaluable revision habits.

Well done to all of our exam classes, we hope you achieve everything you deserve. With a special mention to Lorena Hall, Emma Harris, Caitlin Fielder, Cristine Pablo and Lauren Winch in Year 13 for their exceptional work ethic throughout the two years.

IFTED & TALENTED

USIC

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IN THE CLASSROOMYear 7 have been busy studying Folk Music and Music in the Media. This has provided excellent opportunities for the students to develop their performance and composition skills.

Year 8 made a historical journey through a musical timeline from 1600 to the 1950s. Students have enjoyed playing famous themes from each era!

Year 9 have been focused on styles and genres of popular music. Playing songs from the last 5 decades has given great opportunities to collaborate in ensembles.

Year 10 are exploring a huge range of music styles for their GCSE course. The students have also been honing their performance and composition skills ready for the challenges of the practical controlled assessments in Year 11.

SUMMER CONCERTThe Summer Concert on 4th July was a great occasion with a huge variety of musical performances. Students ranging from Years 7 to 13 came together to showcase both solo and ensemble numbers in order to produce a brilliant evening of music. The summer tea party theme made everyone long for the summer holidays and the success of the raffle and refreshments was made possible by all our extra helpers. A big thank you to everyone who gave up their time; it

was a huge team effort and great fun was had by all.

CONCERT TOURThe Concert Band, Choir and Chamber Choir represented the Music

Department in an outstanding manner during our 5 day tour of Holland and Belgium on 12th-16th July. Concert venues

included venues in the Bruges area and Delft Botanical Gardens. Performances were enthusiastically

received by our host audiences and lots of fun was had by all!

KILVE COURTAs part of our G&T academic programme, a group of Year 9 and 10 girls attended an event at Kilve Court with students from 4 other local schools. They heard an introductory presentation on the brain and mindfulness and then participated in 4 workshops in rotation with students mixed up from the 5 schools where they were expected to work in teams with students from other schools. It was a full-on day where all our students did us proud as they ventured out their comfort zones! Well done to Rachael Davis, Edith Evans, Eleanor Hull, Lisa Johnson, Jess Mee, Ruby Nex, Lorna Warren, Beth Young, Katy Speed and Isabel Taylor.The workshops were:1. Blindfold assault course with sensory discussion in the middle and at the end2. Maths Challenges3. The Psychology of Lying!4. The Mind and Mindfulness

OXFORD UNIVERSITYWe had a good trip to Oxford University this term...notwithstanding a shocking drive home due to the weather! Eight Year 9 and 10 students from Holyrood and six from Axe Valley travelled to the beautiful city of Oxford to get a taste of university education, and life! The programme for the day was arranged by Alice McCallum, our link college outreach and Undergraduate Admissions Officer.There was an introductory quiz, a talk about applications and A Level choices, a tour of the college with students and the chance to ask them questions followed by lunch in the ornate formal dining room, an academic session on graffiti and a very quick trip to the covered market where we saw them filming Morse!!!Well done to Hannah Eke, Edith Evans, Laura Hall, Eleanor Hull, Ellie Kirkham, Lorelei Larter Webber, Katy Speed and Isabel Taylor.

PROJECT CHALLENGEThis year, 25 Year 7 students took up the Food Challenge of creating their own pizza, ready-steady-cook style! This involved completing a ‘Webbie Workout’ and devising a pizza with an original shape and flavoured topping from the selection that was available. Every student had to ensure their pizza was different to everybody else’s as we hope you can see from the photos!

RAMAD

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WHAT A BUSY YEAR IT HAS BEEN FOR THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT!

Firstly a massive congratulations to our Year 11 GCSE cohort. Two years of hard work really paid off with what the whole team agreed was probably the best, most professional set of final performance exams for years. Let’s hope the examiner saw in those pieces all the hard work, dedication and skill that our students put in. We hope to see some of you next year on the Performing Arts course…

And we say congratulations and goodbye to our amazing Year 13 students. For 7 years they have studied Drama and we wish them all the luck with their next steps beyond Holyrood.

Year 10 have also completed the first of their TWO performance exams. They performed their politically charged devised pieces to full houses over two nights. For some of our students, performing to audiences is second nature but for a number of them it was the first time EVER that they had performed to anyone other than their class. A huge congratulations to them.

A selection of our Year 7 and 8 students took a shortened version of a Midsummer Night’s Dream to the Tacchi Morris Theatre in Taunton for the second ‘Inspired by… festival’. Having seen last year’s Comedy of Errors from Holyrood, the organisers of the festival had high expectations from us…and the students delivered! What a performance. Thank you so much to the students and everyone who came and supported them. It really was a brilliant day.

And finally, after a bit of a break, we can officially announce that our next whole Academy production is the darkly comic, hilarious, riotous ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. Auditions are underway and we can promise you that next year’s show will leave you “hungry” for more.

Enjoy the summer everyone!

The Drama Department

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SUMMER EXHIBITION The Art department has just hosted their annual Summer Exhibition, showcasing achievement in GCSE and A Level Art and Photography. Staff spent time transforming the department to create a ‘gallery-style’ experience for students and staff to view and critique work while being inspired and entertained. On the evening of 11th July, students were invited along with family and guests to enjoy refreshments and music whilst celebrating their amazing achievements.The work this year has been fantastic and ranged from drawing and painting to sculpture and mixed media. A truly wonderful time was had and it was the highlight of the Art Department’s calendar.

MOTIVATIONAL BOARDYear 9 students came up with some excellent inspirational quotes to encourage students in their GCSEs and A Levels. A lot of research, thought and hard work came into designing these eye-catching phrases. Students then voted and contributed to the overall composition and painting of the final piece. It now hangs outside the exam hall for all to see.

Amy Tucker, Trinity Davis, Robyn Johnston, Cami Adams, Kaya Dennis, Lewis Wells & Aidan Whitworth

SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONThe Art Department held its annual spring photography competition this term to celebrate Spring and what it means to everyone. We are always stunned at the diversity of entries we receive from students and staff. This year was no exception. We were blown away at the imagery submitted and very impressed at the variety of photographs we had the privilege to judge. Entries were taken using cameras, phones and even a drone; all of which were of exceptional quality. It was a tough task to choose the winners and everyone who entered should be very proud of themselves.

Year 7

D’angelo Porter Jasmin BaleKatelin Berry

Year 8

Year 9Lucy Poole

Year 11: Chelsie Bale

New technology award: Ben Warner

Charlotte Parsons

Aidan Sinnott

ODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

CT & COMPUTER SCIENCE

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In March, the French & English departments spent four days in Paris to visit many beautiful Parisian places such as Le Louvre museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palace of Versailles, Montmartre, the Père Lachaise cemetery, as well as a cruise on the river Seine. Students from Years 10, 11 and 6th formers were inspired by its culture and its atmosphere. We finished the trip by a visit to a bakery where all of us learned the savoir-faire of baking pastries and bread. The students were outstanding Holyroodian ambassadors, vive la France!

As of writing…Year 11s have finished both their ECDL exams and their Computer Science GCSE exams.Year 13 have finished their IT and Computing BTEC courses.Year 12 have sat their BTEC exams.

The run up to these exams has been a seriously busy time, but we’ve no time now to relax. Both Year 10 and Year 9 are prepping for their terminal years so we will remain busy…busy…busy!

Outside of our curriculum, our lunch club has been building an awesome robot. The build is now more or less complete so it is now programming time; can’t wait to see what our students can get their robot to do. Could Robot Wars be in their future?

At the end of this term the Academy bids goodbye to Mr Chapple. An integral member of the ICT and Computer Science teaching staff, and very much responsible for the aforementioned Robotics lunch club, Mr Chapple is off to lead his own department in another school. We wish him the very best of luck, he will be missed.

And...the end of this term will also see my own departure from the Academy. I have been a teacher at Holyrood for eleven years! I’m not quite sure where the time has gone? Holyrood is a great place to work but it really is time for a change. So, from September you will find me in Malawi.

I have enjoyed my time at Holyrood and consider myself very fortunate to have worked here; the staff and students are truly wonderful. I wish the entire Holyrood community the very best for the future.

Mr Chapple

Mr Hunter

ESIGN & TECHNOLOGYD

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TEXTILES In Textiles this year, Year 7s have been producing some wonderful fabric phone cases and cushions. They have learnt a range of new techniques and skills including Applique, Disperse dye, Hand embroidery and most importantly, how to use the sewing machines. Excellent development Year 7; we are all really looking forward to seeing how you progress your skills in Year 8!

Year 8 groups have been working on a Mexican Day of the Dead bag project and have produced some very colourful and extremely complex decorations. Combined with this, their second module has been based around learning and applying key graphical skills. Great work Year 8.

Year 10 have made fantastic progress towards their GCSE Coursework with over 70% of the group already having finished their prototype. We have some interesting pieces being developed within the themes of Shabby Chic, Japanese Street style and Modern Vintage. Key students that have worked hard towards raising their grade above their Target are Bethany Pratt, Storm Lamb, Chloe Payne and Tanisha Veale. I am exceptionally proud of the whole group’s work ethos and extremely excited to see the finished pieces. Keep up the good work Year 10.

ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS Congratulations to the Year 11s for all their hard work in Electronic Products. You have worked so hard and your coursework is a credit to you all. I look forward to seeing you in August for the results day. Good luck to all of you for your future successes, I have really enjoyed our year working together.

It is a very exciting time for the Design & Technology Department next year as we introduce a BTEC course in Engineering and Construction. We have an excellent group of students who will be taking this new qualification over two years, and we are in a very fortunate position to have the full support of the Yeovil-based CEO of Leonardo Helicopters, Mr Ray Edward. He was so impressed with our Academy and the maturity of all of the students who met with him. He has very kindly offered to help our students in any way that he can to encourage their success in this subject area. We hope that our students and company apprentices can at times work together and that our students can have real ‘hands on’ experiences within a major company like Leonardo’s.

Year 9 students are really enjoying their experiences of developing electronic products. They are developing professional circuits using software and are putting our state of the art laser cutter to excellent use producing etchings in acrylic to produce high quality mood lighting. Year 8 students are developing excellent automata, which are mechanical devices that demonstrate how components can work together and create 4 different types of motion which include linear, reciprocating, oscillating and rotary movements.

Daisy Fox Harriet Withers Isla Vincent Kizzie Hull Megan Winch

Year 7 students are working so hard designing and producing outstanding pieces of jewellery based on a London company called ‘Tatty Devine’. They are using 2D design software and the laser cutter to produce some amazing pieces.

FOOD PREPARATION & NUTRITION

THE END OF AN ERA… Our current 6th Form group of Emily Bilboe, Mae Knight and Ryan White, are the last ever students at Holyrood Academy to take the A Llevel in Food Technology. This qualification has been testing students for a number of years in the areas of microbiology, HACCP, Nutrition and food production, but due changes in qualifications made by the Department for Education, we now sadly see its demise. I am sure however that this talented group of students will make this last examination be a great event and claim the grades that they deserve.

THE START OF A NEW ERA… From September 2017 Holyrood, in conjunction with Axe Valley, are preparing to offer the new

WJEC Level 3 course in Food Science and Nutrition. This looks to be an exciting new course, with much more emphasis on Nutrition, Science and the best bit….the making!

ESIGN & TECHNOLOGYD

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YEAR 11 FOOD TECHNOLOGY Many congratulations to you all for completing your controlled assessments with many students gaining their target grades and a large number scoring above; after a very intensive year I look forward to seeing the overall grades in August.

This year students were given a revision party bag that contained everything a Year 11 student could wish for to guide them through this tough time.This included:

• An elastic band to stretch you to the limits• A paper clip to help you keep it all together when things get tough• Some light bedtime reading (work books)• A past exam paper to extend your knowledge• Exam stationery to be fully prepared on the day• A packet of sweets for that energy boost• A packet of cuppa soup to ensure you eat before your exams• Bubble wrap for stress busting• A packet of tissues to wipe away the tears of joy when you have

finished• A lucky penny to take with you into the exam• A good luck message from me to say thank you for all your hard

work!

YEAR 10 Year 10 students are going to be the new stars of the future when it comes to food-teaching as they are the first group of students who will be completing the new GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition. In this new course, all coursework must be completed in Year 11 so students will need to be organised and REMEMBER THEIR INGREDIENTS!Students will be required to carry out a scientific investigation from September to November 2017 and complete a number of experiments before completing a 2000 word report by the end of November.

This will be followed by a Food Preparation task from November 2017 to May 2018. It will include numerous practical tasks that then culminate in a 20-page portfolio and a 3 hour practical examination.

KEY STAGE 3 Lower down the school, students at KS3 have been working on a project based on the official school meal standards, trying to create the perfect school dinner, with some amazing results.

RESISTANT MATERIALS & GRAPHIC PRODUCTSWe have had another busy and successful year. The Year 11 students have made some outstanding projects ranging from furniture to children’s toys, which are worthy of commercial production and retail. Charlie Chadwick has been awarded a prize from Axminster Tools in conjunction with the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers for his GCSE project. A beautiful and original Art Deco inspired storage unit. Well Done Charlie.

Year 10 have been working hard on their GCSE coursework and are really keen to start making their final products on their return in September. Their design work currently demonstrates creativity and originality, a key skill to achieving those high grades. I am looking forward to supporting students in the manufacturing process, as I believe their making will be outstanding based on their design ideas. Great work Year 10.

Lower down the school our Year 7 students have been applying their CADCAM skills to a mini enterprise project: to design and manufacture limited edition earrings and packaging from scrap materials. These fun laser cut and hand painted

designs have been proving very popular with staff and students alike. Our students rose to the challenge and produced a range of designs from doughnuts and cupcakes to retro fab ice lollies. Teams even used social media to promote

their ideas to the wider school community. Well done Year 7. The proceeds of the sale are going towards the purchase of new and exciting D&T resources.

And on the subject of D&T resources, our laser cutter is a highly oversubscribed piece of equipment, used by all year groups as well as for community learning projects. The skills learnt using this machine and related

software are directly related to industry and provide real industry level skills, something our students relish. We would therefore love to purchase a second machine and are currently looking for community

and industry support to help us with this expansion. If you feel you could help us with this please do contact Mrs Da Costa at the Academy.

Key Stage 3 - The perfect School Dinner!

Ben Fenton Charlie Chadwick

Kayleigh Cross Charlie Durman Ollie Handford

Kameron Ridler Daniel Butterfield Kris Vahancik

CIENCES

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BTEC APPLIED SCIENCE students enjoyed a seminar with Rachel Phillimore from Orchard Osteopaths, an award-winning practice in Chard. Rachel discussed musculoskeletal disorders as well as their corrective treatments and, thanks to Arron Lewis, was able to show us some of the massages and movements that are vital to the treatments she delivers. This valuable workshop was valuable content for students’ assignments on investigating the effects of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace.

SCIENCE IN THE COMMUNITY!This term we have also sent our Science Teachers out to the village Primary Schools to extend and develop a better understanding of Hot and Cold Science. The workshops used mini scientific investigations to develop findings to design a container to keep drinks cool at Wimbledon. Everyone was amazed by some spectacular chemical demonstrations along with hands-on practical investigations. Year 6s have also had the opportunity to come into Holyrood Science Labs and try out a Secondary School level practical science lesson.Feedback from these events was really positive:“I can’t decide what I enjoyed most; it was all so good.”“Mrs Hill was the part I enjoyed most!”“When we mixed the chemicals together to either make; exothermic liquid or endothermic liquid. It was very exciting and I can’t wait for science class in Holyrood.”“I enjoyed the bit when Charlie and I accidentally blew up the citric acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate!!”

Tatworth Primary School

Neroche Primary School

Buckland Primary School

Ashill Primary School

Winsham Primary School

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UKE OF EDINBURGHDYEAR 9 AND YEAR 10 BRONZE PRACTICE WALK

On the evening of Friday 19th May, 100 enthusiastic students in 17 teams set off on their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award practice expedition. They had to complete a challenging two-day walk and one night camp in the local area, not helped by the torrential downpours, including thunder and lightning!The teams demonstrated their health and safety knowledge, navigation skills, teamwork and a high level of fitness. The heavy rain which blighted the groups

when they started finally held off until all 17 teams had finished their routes. Carrying full packs, they navigated their routes with determination all the way to the finish. They survived; and are now looking forward to their Qualifying Expeditions in July or October.A huge thank you to all the students and supporting staff for an enjoyable and rewarding two days!

YEAR 10 BRONZE QUALIFYING EXPEDITION

Fifty Year 10 students completed and passed their Bronze Qualifying Expedition on the weekend of 17th-18th July 2017. They progressed through the beautiful countryside from Winsham to Monkton Wyld in Devon, with an overnight camp in Monkton Wyld. The weather was not kind to us, the sun combined with the heat made the journey really difficult. Their determination, perseverance, behaviour and attitude to safety was commendable.Once they have completed their skills, volunteering and physical sections of the award, they will receive their Bronze Certificate and Badge.A huge thank you to all the staff who supported the training and expeditions and we look forward to the Year 9 qualifying expedition on the first weekend in October. Fingers crossed it isn’t as hot and given the choice between the rain and the sun, I think Year 10 would have chosen the rain!Congratulations to you all….we are so very proud of you!!

GOLD GOLD GOLDAn excellent 3-day practice expedition was completed by the current Gold Participants on Exmoor in preparation for the final Gold assessed expedition in July. Camping skills were practised and students coped well with a variety of

weather conditions which challenged their perseverance and resilience. I was most impressed by the way in which their navigation improved and how well they all worked together as a team---no complaints and lots of high

spirits. Well done to all concerned, we look forward to an excellent final experience on Dartmoor.

All 100 of them…and Rose Burrough of Barleymows!

HYSICAL EDUCATIONP

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SPORTS DAY At the time of going to press, Sports Day was yet to be held! Please see the Holyrood Academy website for photos and results: www.holyroodacademy.com

YEAR 6 TRANSITION DAY – MINI OLYMPICS As part of their 2-day Transition Programme, 240 Year 6 students took part in an action-packed Mini Olympics in the DRY Sports Hall. The Year 6s were a credit to their schools and we are really looking forward to their talent joining us in September 2017!

CRICKET U13 & U15 GIRLS Both of the girl’s cricket teams have had a wonderful start to the summer season with both teams having won all of their matches up to this point. Stand out performances in the lower age group have been from Katie Beale and captain Maddie Crouch; some excellent batting has resulted in them having to retire on the maximum of 20 runs in all games that have been played. Special mention goes to Kitty Knight for an outstanding piece of fielding in the Chance to Shine game against Swanmead that led to an important run out! In the U15 age group Abbie Carslake, Hannah Eke and Lydia Harris have led from the front with both their bowling and batting skills. These girls have also had extra cricket by playing in the boys U15 ‘B’ team each week which has been a great opportunity for them to be involved with more ‘hard ball’ cricket. Both girls’ teams are south-Somerset Champions and have made it through to their Chance to Shine County Finals which,

at the time of writing, are set to be held at Uphill Castle CC on Thursday 29th June. Outstanding work girls!

U13 BOYS The U13 boys didn’t have a great start to their season when they were beaten by Maiden Beech by 3 runs in the first round of the Chance to Shine outdoors competition. However, since then the ‘A’ team have won all of their league matches and have a very strong chance of reaching the final if they finish top of their group. Some excellent batting displays from Harvey Evans and some superb bowling by Lewis Griffiths and the rest of the team have seen them have some great wins against Bucklers Mead, Preston, King Arthurs and Ansford. Having entered an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ team in both boys age groups this year, we have had up to 4 cricket matches a week which is excellent! The ‘B’ team consists of many players that have only just started playing the game and have come on in leaps and bounds. They are thoroughly enjoying their first season of competitive games and hope to win their next game against Stanchester!

U15 BOYS The U15 boys have had the strongest start to their season out of all the cricket teams at Holyrood. Their opening Chance to Shine match led to a convincing win against Bucklers Mead where everyone batted to their potential. Opener Joel Smith who retired after 8 balls after some superb boundary hitting was supported excellently by Alfred Busby and Manny Shahzad both of who also ended up retiring. The boys had a fantastic Chance to Shine campaign - winning all of their games to progress into the play offs. Unfortunately, after a strong battle against Kingsmead the boys lost in their playoffs and didn’t manage to reach the final. The boys have also had excellent results in the league having beaten Bucklers Mead, Ansford and King Arthurs. The stand out performance of the season so far was the innings of Manny Shahzad who scored 24* and 13 in the last over to win against Ansford in an important league game. Special mention also goes to Ryan Lewis and Alfred Busby for some excellent performances.The new U15 ‘B’ team also won their opening match against Westfield and have had some tight games against Stanchester and Huish Episcopi. Players such as Jacob Boobyer that have only started playing cricket this year have been brilliantly supported by the girls and experienced players such as Josh Salisbury and Sam Parker. The team is getting stronger game by game and is looking to beat Park in their next game!

U13 Girls Cricket Captain Hannah Eke

U13 Boys Cricket

U15 Boys Cricket

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ATHLETICS On Wednesday 24th May, 47 students represented the Academy at the Area School Athletics Championships at Yeovil. Despite the very hot weather conditions the boys and girls performed excellently throughout the long day. Just some of the outstanding performances on the day were from: Katie Beale (1st in Javelin; New school record), Tahlia Glazier (1st in 800m), Kira Marsh (3rd in 100m), Charlie Clifford (1st in Long Jump & Triple Jump), Lucy Bradbury (1st in Discus & 3rd in Shotput), Lydia Harris (1st in Shotput), Lucy Hollister (2nd in Javelin) and James Eaton (1st in 300m).On the 29th & 30th April we took 14 students to Millfield School to compete in the Combined County Athletics Championships. During the two days of competition there were some excellent performances in the 100m, 800m, long jump and shotput where we saw Tae Wakeling, Alec Evans, Harvey Evans and Tahlia Glazier all gaining personal bests.On Wednesday 7th June the SSAA Junior County Track and Field Competition was held in Yeovil. 30 students from the Academy took part in a number of events throughout the day including javelin, shotput, long jump, triple jump, 100m, 200m and 1500m. Connor White performed excellently and came 3rd in the 100m and 200m finals after winning both of his heats. Leo Slade was 3rd in the U13 boys shotput and Katie Beale came 3rd in the U14 girls javelin.

COUNTY 7’S RUGBY CHAMPIONS The Year 9 Boys Rugby Team was crowned County 7-a-Side champions at Yeovil Barbarians RFC on Friday 9th June. They won all their games against various schools from the County. The lads were fantastic all day and represented the Academy brilliantly. They put their heart and soul into every performance. This squad continues to get better as they progress through the school and many of them have started to play and train at Chard RFC which helps their development massively. It was hard to pick a player of the day but Chas O’Shaughnessy, Alfred Busby, James Salaman, Harry Clifford and Lewis Hole were the stand out performers.Pictured back row from left;Kurt Beaver, Sam Parker, Lewis Hole, Alfred Busby, James Eaton, Nathan FowlerFront row left to right;Chas O’Shaughnessy, James Salaman, Harry Clifford

ROUNDERS YEAR 7 Despite having lost 2 out of their first 3 games, the Year 7s have been positive at training and are improving each week. Despite narrowly losing to Gryphon in their second game Miss Sims was extremely proud of the improvements that the team had made since their first game against Bucklers Mead. The bowling from Heidi Warren has got better and better and the girls have started to hit the ball with power! Great fielding performances from Amy Bristow and some successful batting from Georgia Ryder are just some of the noteworthy performances that the team have displayed. The whole team had a great win away at Ansford that ended 7-4 ½. The girls will play Westfield and Swanmead in the next few weeks!

YEAR 8 The Year 8s played their first game of the season against Bucklers Mead. They won the

game convincingly with a score of 10 1/2 - 4 1/2 rounders. After a tentative start to the first fielding innings the team relaxed and played with confidence, keeping the Bucklers team to a score of 2 1/2 rounders. During Holyrood’s first battings innings things didn’t quite go to plan and although they lead at half time, the team didn’t score as many rounders as they had hoped. All was put right in the second innings. Bucklers

only managed to score 2 rounders due to the amazing fielding skills of the Holyrood team and when batting Holyrood batted with style and determination

to score 7 rounders. Player of the match as decided by Bucklers Mead went to Tahlia Glazier.Unfortunately we have had one team withdraw from our league

and two matches postponed. With two games still to play, I have great hopes for this team to make the area finals in a few weeks time.

YEAR 9It has been a brilliant season for the Year 9s. So far

unbeaten, and heading for the district finals! Ellie Hull has been outstanding in her consistent performance

and continues to encourage her team mates fully. Everyone has really contributed in a positive

way and played a huge part in the success of the team...very well done everyone!

Athletics

Rugby 7’s

Year 7 Rounders

Year 8 Rounders

Year 9 Rounders

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ROUNDERS(CONT)YEAR 10A strong season for the team, with two good wins putting them second in their pool to go through to the area finals. A large committed squad throughout the season that have improved their fielding tactics alongside their batting techniques. Player of the season goes to Lydia Harris for her dedication, commitment and excellent batting that won the team the last game taking them through to the finals. The team was led by Captain Jessica Fowler who made an outstanding number of catches throughout the season. Well done to all.

PRIMARY SPORTPRIMARY CRICKET On Tuesday 23rd May Holyrood hosted the Primary Cricket Competition at Chard CC. It was a great success with Ashill, Avishayes, Buckland, Combe, Manor Court, Neroche, Redstart and Tatworth attending the event. Eight Year 6 teams, three Girls teams and three Year 5 teams competed against one another in round-robin competitions. Some excellent cricket skills were on display throughout the afternoon and the Holyrood students did a great job umpiring and scoring. Tatworth won the Girls and the Year 6 competitions while Redstart and Combe drew in the final of the Year 5 competition. As a result of this, Tatworth competed in the Area Finals at Chard Cricket Club on Tuesday 6th June where the girls won all of their matches and now progress to the County finals later this term.

PRIMARY ROUNDERS On Tuesday 13th June Holyrood Academy hosted the Year 5 & 6 Primary Rounders Competition. Redstart, Avishayes, Manor Court, Tatworth and Ashill competed in a round-robin competition across 3 pitches throughout the afternoon. Year 10 students Beth Young, Lily Farey, Jess Finch, Jess Fowler, Katie Speed, Tanisha Veale, Lydia Harris and Hannah Eke did a great job of umpiring and assisting throughout the day. There were some fantastic batting and fielding skills on show despite the really hot weather. Tatworth, the winners of the tournament, received a trophy at the end of the day after successfully beating the 5 other teams. It was a brilliant afternoon; so many games of rounders were played outside in the sunshine…everyone tried so hard and had lots of fun and the Year 10 students represented the Academy perfectly.

OVERNANCEGGreetings from the new Local Governance CommitteeFollowing the successful launch of the Vector Learning Trust in April 2017 the Board of Governors at Holyrood became the Local Governance Committee. Our role is to lead the running of the Academy on behalf of the Trustees and to monitor and report on its operation and performance. Our focus is solely on ensuring that all students achieve their maximum potential. The Local Governance Committee currently has ten members which includes Mr Matt Collins as Headteacher and Ms Pauline Lamond as Teacher Governor. We meet twice each term as a Committee and all regularly visit the Academy to meet with staff and students. Each of us has a “Link Governor” role to specific areas of the Academy Development Plan focussing on areas as diverse as Child Protection & Safeguarding, Special Educational Needs & Disability, Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Pupil Premium and Post-16.

My role as Chair of the Local Governance Committee also involves the performance management of Mr Collins.As a group we are keen to become more involved in the Academy and in 2017/2018 we will be actively taking part in the new House system, attending a greater number of school events and hope to be available at Parents Evenings to meet you and discuss your views on how the Academy is performing. The Committee continues to actively seek new members from across the Chard community and if you

would like to consider joining us please do get in contact with me via the Academy.

I do hope you have a lovely summer and look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible in the next academic year.

Roger Evans Chair, Holyrood Academy Local Governance

Committee

Roger Evans, Chair

Year 10 Rounders

Primary Cricket

Primary Rounders

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IXTH FORMSFAREWELL FROM KATHERINE & SEAMUS

Having completed our year as Headgirl and Headboy, and with a busy year with many duties and memorable events, we would like to take this opportunity to thank both the

student and staff body. We owe our success of raising over £900 for various charities to your support and participation during the year. We are very grateful for the chance

we have been given to set a precedent for these roles and give something back to Holyrood after it has supported us throughout the Academy. We wish our successors

good luck for next year and hope they enjoy themselves, as we have done.

Katherine and Seamus

This term has been an exciting and important one for all our students in Years 12 and 13. It has seen our Year 12s undertake their end-of-year exams and a group of fantastic candidates put themselves forward to be selected for Senior Team roles including Headgirl and Headboy. Year 12 have been extremely enthusiastic about their new places within the House System and they are really looking forward to the inter-house competitions starting - so are the staff!

For Year 13, this has been a very productive and at times stressful term, but they have committed to their studies and I have no doubt that they will have achieved extremely well come results day on 17th August. I have been extremely impressed and at times humbled by the dedication of Year 13 students to their studies and of our wonderful staff who do everything they can to help our young people succeed. The Year 13 Leavers Lunch was a particular highlight of this term - an amazing event and a fitting way to say goodbye to a group of students who have brought so much to Holyrood over their 7 years here.

So, we say ‘goodbye and good luck’ to Year 13, we say ‘we look forward to working with you again’ to Year 12 and to Year 11 we say ‘we look forward to welcoming you back in September’.

LEAVERS’ LUNCH 2017 After all the hard work and preparation for examinations Year 13 were able to celebrate their time at Holyrood Academy Sixth Form at Hornsbury Mill with a leavers’ lunch and prize giving.

YOUNG PHYSICIST OF THE YEARCongratulations to Ellis Caird who has been awarded Physicist of the Year 2017 by the Ogden Trust at a

presentation at Exeter University. Mr Swarbrick nominated Ellis for this award on the basis that: “Ellis constantly stretches himself beyond the specification and clearly does a lot of reading. His ability in maths

and further maths enables him to explore new physics breakthroughs way beyond that of any student I have taught before. I am genuinely excited by the prospect of this young man’s future.”

Anisa Marsh and Ellis Caird

Ellis with Dr Alice Mills

Katherine Seamus

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OMMUNITYCCOMMUNITY LEARNINGThis year we have offered a wide variety of free courses for Primary School children and their parents/carers, giving taster sessions of what it is like to learn at Holyrood Academy. Pupils from Years 3-6 from our feeder schools had the chance to try their hand at creating Christmas decorations using re-cycled books-a glittery affair! Another session saw students and their parents designing and sewing beautiful fabric bunting.

We also held one of our most popular ‘Claymation’ workshops where the pupils learnt how to make a stop-frame animation. Their many photos were transformed into an animation using Movie-maker, introducing children to the editing aspects of programming.

Also, back by popular demand was the laser cutting workshop, for which participants created a 3D design to be laser cut, and then soldered lights onto it, making a fantastic programmed light-up house!

NEWS FROM THE HUB Holyrood’s Hub offers students support to learn in a welcoming and nurturing environment with a range of resources and highly skilled staff. The Hub offers: intensive literacy intervention; speech and language programme; social skills; ELSA (emotional literacy support); 1:1 mentoring; KS4 Study support; break and lunch club; and a new sensory space.

HE HUBT

Following a successful coffee morning in the Autumn term, the student support staff are delighted to have raised enough money to purchase new sensory equipment for the Hub’s sensory space. This space, which includes a sensory tent, calming music, colour-changing lights, tactile resources, and interactive display board, is predominately used by the students on the Autistic spectrum and those with social and emotional needs as a safe place to go.

We were pleased to welcome SASP (Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership) to the Hub this term to work with our students in lunch club. Students enjoyed trying new sports such as archery, boccia and badminton among other fun activities.

READ & WRITE GOLDWe are pleased to have installed on Academy computers new software called ‘Read&Write’. This has been an amazing advance in technology for students who might be struggling readers. The programme can also be accessed from home via the Academy’s RMUnify platform. Among the many useful features it offers, students are able to have web pages read out to them, can tint or mask screens and access a picture dictionary. There are video tutorials for each feature so please take the time to explore everything this brilliant software can offer.

CONGRATULATIONS DAN!We are really proud of Daniel

Humphreys who recently completed a 30-mile sponsored walk over 2 days to support a family friend who was doing the walk in aid of ‘Southwest Autism’. The fundraising page reached £2000 shortly after the walk and has been steadily increasing since! Dan really

enjoyed himself and he is very proud of his and his friend’s achievement. Well

done Daniel!

OUSE SYSTEMH

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We were delighted with the huge number of competitors who took part in the opportunity to name the brand new houses at Holyrood Academy. Names ranged from historic figures and locations around Chard, to inspirational people, to the wild and wonderful- the banana splits characters being Mrs Davison’s personal favourite!

The final names were selected by the governing board who chose Quantock, Brendon, Blackdown and Mendip. These were suggested by a student from Year 7. We look forward to our first inter-house event which will be a new look Sports Day.

Our new house captains and vice captains have many exciting ideas to share. Working with the new House Coordinator Mrs Chapple-Hyam, logos are to be designed, mottos are to be considered and inter-house competitions are to be run. Look out for opportunities to enter and win house points! Let the games begin!

Remember hearing about the Ski Trip 2017? Now is your chance to join us on our next amazing adventure to Prato Nevosa in February 2019! The trip is open to all students…get in while you can! See Miss Horne for details.

KI TRIP 2017

NDIA PROJECT

S

IPlans for our next India trip are already underway. The current Year 11 and Year 12 students will be the next group to head off. Watch out for information in the next academic year. With this in mind, we will be launching our new Holyrood Extended Learning Project (HELP). This will bring opportunities for students from both Holyrood and Axe Valley and will involve our wider community.

We are very lucky once again to have been donated Glastonbury Festival Tickets. I would like to thank Fiona Case from the Festival Recycling Crew who increased our ticket allocation from 10 last year to 18 this year.

Unlike the cries of ‘mud, mud, glorious mud’ from last year the volunteers (made up of ex students, parents and friends of the Holyrood Academy India Project) we were able to melt in the sun while litter-picking at

the Pyramid Stage. The music definitely made up for our responsibilities!

You can tell this picture was taken at the start of a shift (6am) and at the start of the festival as we all look so clean.

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YEAR 7The transition from primary to secondary school presents so many challenges and I am incredibly proud of the students for the way they adapted to their new school. I must thank Miss Wheatley for her help during this transition, Mr Pinney for his endless support throughout the year and the tutors who have developed eight positive and enthusiastic tutor groups. In the latest report we have been able to set the GCSE targets for 2021(!) and these indicate that the year group has enormous potential for the future.

We have excelled on the sports field with a record number of matches won in many competitions and fixtures. The music department has had record numbers of Year 7 students join the choir. For the first time in five years we are going to Cardiff with 170 Year 7 students and I am sure this will be a successful and enjoyable trip.

Many students continue to take up the challenge that Holyrood Academy offers both inside and outside the classroom and I can only be optimistic about their future here. I am confident that they are now ready for the next challenge of Year 8 with the experienced year leader Mr Reid taking them on to new heights. Mr Jason Swarbrick

YEAR 8Since the start of the Options process in December, time has flown by. It was fantastic to be able to offer all Year 8 students their first choices at GCSE and we are all looking forward to hitting the ground running as the courses start in September. Over the last few months we have continued to enjoy great sporting success along with a fabulous robotics day, put on by Bournemouth University, and an excellent trip to visit religious sights in Exeter. The penultimate day of term sees our end of Key Stage 3 Awards Ceremony, a first for the Academy. The awards are based on academic achievement at subject level so it will be a fitting way to end the year.

As you are already aware there will be a number of changes within the year team from September, I would like to thank all of those staff who have supported the year group over the last 2 years. All our students have worked really hard this year and deserve their 6 week break; I look forward to hearing about their adventures when we return, refreshed and raring to go, in September.Mr Chris Slinger

YEAR 9I am hugely proud of Year 9. They have completed the first year of their GCSE courses with the same loud enthusiasm and positive approach to learning that they approach most things. This is a quality that was witnessed on the Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Award practice walk. I had the privilege of walking with two different groups (a lot of it in the wrong direction). Every one of the 50 students kept their good humour and team spirit. Well done. Strangely I really enjoyed myself.

This has been a year where I have heard so many positive things from staff who teach you all. ‘My Year 9 class is lovely’ is a common thing to hear. Parents Evening was also a positive experience. Students left with a mixture of ‘well dones’ and next steps. Thanks again Year 9 for all the conversations and comments that I was able to have with parents.

The PSHE rotation has allowed the whole year group to be taught by all of the tutors. We have specialised in teaching particular units. Study skills and types of learning is one of the units which they will definitely be needing to focus on in the coming year. Remember to keep your Year 9 notes when tidying your rooms (taking advice from the current Year 10 leader, Mrs Hogg). You will need them right up to the GCSE exams.

As we begin Year 10 I am excited that there are so many opportunities for our students. Look out for information about Apprenticeships, university trips and work experience to name but a few. Enjoy your well-earned rest Year 9.Ms Pauline Lamond

YEAR 10A busy term for Year 10; I cannot believe we have only one year to go! Being mindful of the need to start looking outwards as well as inwards at work and qualifications, 2 groups have been out to Apprenticeship Fairs in Taunton and Exeter, with useful contacts and new ideas for their futures. The Marines came in and worked with a group of 20 students for the afternoon, working with problem-solving skills and teamwork. It was fascinating to watch the negotiations, and the inevitable bumps as the guinea-pig student fell off the ladder!

The Expedition section of the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze has been completed, with the practice weekend being a cold one for the time of year and the real weekend being the hottest June since the 90s. Hats off to those 50 students! They walked without complaint, with good humour and had a great sense of team spirit. I am also pleased to report that no-one got food poisoning from their cooking efforts on the trangias!

Year 10 exams have now been completed and I am pleased to say that the English and Maths exams were organised in exactly the same way as the real ones will be, with the full allocation

of time and in the Sports Hall. This is so useful for the students so that they can see how it all happens and will, I hope, help them to feel more comfortable with that part of

the exam process...

FINAL WORD FROM...A

FINAL WORD FROM...

NIFORM

A

U

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YEAR 10 CONT...The focus on Futures continues with Work Experience week, and also with 90 students visiting universities in Exeter and Bournemouth before we hit the end of term. Although most do not know exactly what they want to do post-16, I have tried to make sure that there have been plenty of opportunities for them to explore ideas, with some having had careers interviews already.Next year is a challenge for which we are already preparing in so many ways, and I look forward to seeing everyone in September when we take the next steps. Have a good holiday everyone!Mrs Deborah Hogg YEAR 11Friday 30th June saw Zembard Way nose-to-tail with stretch limousines, Hummers, supercars and even some classic vintage cars, as the Class of 2017 arrived for their Celebration Day. The girls looked stunning in their glamorous dresses and the boys in their sharp suits were ready to party the day away.

On the following Thursday night we held the Leavers Prom at Haselbury Mill and as usual, this was a lovely, mature affair and quite a poignant one as this was the final time we saw these students as a year group, before they to go on to 6th Form, college or employment. Photos and selfies were aplenty at both events: in the turning circle, around the school, on the dance floor, in the photo booth and at any other opportunity!

Celebration Day is actually quite an odd day! It is the day all Year 11s look forward to for as long as they can remember; the day when they get to leave school forever and begin their journey into 6th Form, college or the real world. However, once it’s here they really don’t want it to be and they just don’t want to leave! They start remembering all the good times and think of all the people they are leaving behind as they move on into adulthood. It is a mixture of emotions and laughs, and if it could be bottled would be priceless.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families and staff for all the support they have given Year 11 over the past 5 years and to wish them every success in the future – they were an amazing group of students to have at the Academy!Mr Paul Reid

We are looking forward to seeing students returning in September wearing the new Holyrood Academy uniform. We are sure the new blazers, shirts and ties will make you all look so smart. Please see the Academy website for any further details of uniform expectations.