Winter 2017

www.bluecoataspley.co.uk

The news magazine ofBluecoat Aspley Academy

Continued over

Update

This term has seen the introductionof Bluecoat Aspley Academy, whenon 1st October 2017 BluecoatAcademy was split into BluecoatWollaton Academy, BluecoatPrimary Academy and our ownBluecoat Aspley Academy.

This does mean that we are able to focus onthe priorities and needs for our own site, aswell as being able to continue to workalongside our colleagues within ArchwayLearning Trust. Our exam results from lastyear have been recognised as ‘aboveaverage’ in regards to national comparisons at Key stage 4 and once again our Sixth

Form have delivered another set of exceptional results. With a 10% increase inthe outcomes for students passing Englishand Maths, as well as a positive Progress 8score, all of our student groups includingthose who are disadvantaged, those whohave English as an Additional Language andthose who have special educational needsachieved above the national average for allstudents. This is certainly something tocelebrate as a family which includeseveryone who supports our young people,staff, parents and the wider community.

During November our SCITT team havereceived a good rating from Ofsted. TheSCITT (School Centred Initial TeacherTraining) has over 30 trainee teachers whoare currently training with us in 16 schoolsacross Nottingham City, Nottinghamshireand Derbyshire. This recognition of the hardwork and dedication that the team carry outis fantastic. We are also hoping to build onour success in the SCITT by becoming ateaching school which will allow us to

enhance our CPL and collaboration acrossthe city and county.

During the term we have also had ourFestival of Learning which focussed aroundour literacy theme and due to its success wewill also be having another Festival relatingto behaviour for learning on 28th June. Please note that this means an additionalInset day in the Summer Term. The Academywill not be open for students on Thursday28th June and Friday 29th June.

Bluecoat Aspley Academy’s sports day is onThursday 21st June.

At the start of the new academic year wewelcomed Reverend Annabel to the familyand we held her commissioning service inSeptember. It was lovely to welcome herofficially to Bluecoat with David Picken - TheArchdeacon of Newark, Rev’d Peter Huxtable- Area Dean, Nottingham North Deanery,

ArchwayLearning Trust

Welcome from thePrincipal of Bluecoat Aspley Academy

Update Winter 2017

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Drone and jet engine in RAF lecture

Claire Meese - Diocesan Director ofEducation, Gordon Anderson - Chair of theBoard of Trustees and a large selection ofstudents who joined in this special service.

The next term sees the launch of anotherchapter in our history, i.e. the developmentand enhancement of our buildings. During the new term the building of thenew Science block will commence, to becompleted in Spring 2019. Following this

there are a series of plans for our Englishand Maths blocks, as well as catering,sports facilities and enhancements to theAlfred Harrison building with an estimatedfinal completion date of Summer 2020.During the building we are working withthe contractors to ensure that no learningtime is disrupted and this will continue tobe a priority. An exciting time for Aspley!Thank you for your continued support.Mrs Rowell - Principal Bluecoat Aspley

The influence of a good teacherlasts a lifetime.

We want to raise the profile of the teachingprofession, highlight the positive impactteachers and school leaders have in oursociety – with pupils, parents and the widercommunity, and show teachers how muchthey are valued.

To do this go to;www.teachingawards.com/thank-a-teacher

Continued from front page

Year 8 visit EngFest in LondonOn the 19th October, 14 Year 8 students braved the 3 hourjourney to London to attend the Institute of Technology andEngineer’s EngFest 2.0.

Students attended workshops ranging from coding androidmobile apps to engineering a suitable tube train track. Lunch wasdisturbed by a dancing robot however students had a good timelooking at the exhibitors and getting lots of freebies. Students alsogot to see some famous landmarks from the IET on London’s South bank.

Dr Meredith

On Tuesday 7th Novemberyear 8 were treated to afantastic show by the Royal AirForce about what it takes tohave a career in the RAF andabout the teamwork andproblem solving skills neededfor Science and Technologyrelated careers.

As well as a mind-bendingdemonstration of how a beachball is held up by a stream of air,the show explained the Physicsof flight. The students got to seea drone flying around the Sixth

Form Lecture Theatre, whichfilmed them doing a Mexican wave! The talkconcluded with a real jet enginebeing fired up – to say it wasloud is an understatement! I’msure that the talk will haveinspired the students to thinkabout a technology relatedcareer.

Mr Sandiford STEM Coordinator

Come Alive with ScienceThe Come Alive with Science trip on Thursday 19th July was a superb opportunity for our year 10 students to work in aUniversity Chemistry Lab.

The challenge, held atNottingham Trent University,was to make a sun tan lotionusing nanoparticles. Thestudents then had to testtheir product and presenttheir findings to otherschools, including anexplanation of spf. TheBluecoat students wereenthusiastic and reallyenjoyed the day.

Mr Sandiford STEM Coordinator

Saturday 8th of July was the date of the second Bluecoat STEM Festival. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and we had some fascinating shows, activities and demonstrations for primary studentsfrom across Nottingham.

We had demonstrations and displaysfrom the Universities of Nottingham,Derby, Staffordshire and NottinghamTrent as well as an amazing liveshow from Mad Science. Game Citycame along to do a programmingactivity, and we had fossils on display– including some genuine dinosaurpoo! Wates again supported theevent, leading the construction of agiant pyramid and the Institute ofEngineering and Technology’s torchmaking activity was very popular.

GHD Environmental providedinteractive fun, and the studentscould learn about water repellentsurfaces with the team fromNottingham Trent. There were crimescenes, an exercise bike whichmeasures power (it turns out to be

very hard to power even a toasterusing your own power!) and toomany other activities to mention.

By far the most inspiring part of thefestival was the way in whichBluecoat students came together tocreate a day which remindedeveryone who attended the mostimportant aspect of Science, Mathsand Technology learning – the funthat results from having anenquiring mind.

Thank you to everyone who helped,including Bluecoat staff andstudents. Next year’s festival will beeven bigger and better!

Dan SandifordSTEM Coordinator

Update Beyond the classroom

The ChemWorks Challenge. A group of Year 10 students visited Nottingham TrentUniversity in November for the ChemWorks Challenge

Students were shown how tocarry out a titration experimentto investigate the differentcalcium carbonateconcentrations in watersamples. They used brandedand own-brand filters to filtertheir water samples andre-attempted the titrationexperiment to see whichfilter was more effective. Aposter was then producedby each group for the day'sfindings.

Miss Demosthenous

Thank a Teacher Day

Archway Learning Trust is developing itsfamily identity and to this end we areexcited to tell you about some big planswe have for the future. This summer wewill be holding our first Archway Olympicevent at Harvey Hadden. This sportingextravaganza will involve students fromacross all our secondary academies onWednesday 27th June.

On 14th June we will have a celebration ofall of those people who work hard tomake our Trust such a success. We will bethanking our staff body and those whosupport us such as the Governors,

Trustees and the Diocesein a celebration evening.

On Tuesday, 12th February 2019 all of these events will culminate in awonderful student celebration andawards ceremony to be held at the RoyalConcert Hall where children from ourprimary and secondaries will gather withtheir parents and staff to celebrate theirmany incredible talents andachievements.I will you all a very Happy 2018!

Mrs Hampton - CEO

Developing the Archway Learning TrustArchwayLearning Trust

believe in yourself, in others, in God

Update Beyond the classroom Update Beyond the classroom

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Year 7 Transition into our Academy

A number of students fromdifferent year groups entered Sing City 2017: This is an exciting local competition forsingers aged 11-19 who attend NottinghamCity secondary schools, academies &colleges. Well done to all those that enteredand especially Anne-Marie Sanghera whomade it through to the finals!

Mr Durnell

Sing City 2017:

Starting a day early in September gave themthe opportunity to reacquaint themselveswith staff and friends whilst enjoying a quietand relaxed atmosphere whilst preparing fortheir week ahead.

Parents and students were invited to spendan evening with us at our Welcome Party tofurther build, what we hope will be longstanding, positive working relationships.Everyone enjoyed themselves as there waslots of healthy competition as parents andstudents participated in games such asPictionary.

Meet the Tutor Evening – parentsappreciated our Information Evening andfound our literacy, numeracy and otherworkshops invaluable. It was great to meetparents again and let them know how theirchild had settled into secondary education.

Year 7 have settled into their daily routinesand have already grown as young people intheir short journey. We have rewarded over50 students with Cinema visits for their greatstart to the Academy.

Mrs Thomas

In November, Key Stage 3students at Bluecoat AspleyAcademy were visited by theNUSIC School Tour: a communityproject that helps to developemerging music talent within thecounty.

Local artists Nina Smith and RaphaelBlake performed whilst speaking abouttheir creative processes and experiencesof breaking into the music industry.

Following this, students were involved ina workshop where they received expertcritical advice and opportunities tonetwork to further their talents. Theworkshop was a positive andenlightening experience whereeveryone took away a wealth of adviceas well as the message that having acareer you love requires lots of hardwork and dedication but the rewards arewell worth it. More guidance andinformation about the industry can befound at: www.nusic.org.uk

Mr Durnell

Our new Year 7 students have had a busy but rewarding first term.

NUSIC SchoolTour

The trip takes 4 days in total to complete,starting at Workington, going through theLake District and the North Pennines toreach the destination – Sunderland’s PokerPier.

Only a few students at Bluecoat haveachieved this challenge over the years.

This trip has being going for over 14 yearsand still remains a fantastic trip, withBluecoat Academy remaining the onlyschool in the UK to do the route fromWorkington to Sunderland! Well done everyone!

Students involved;

Noah Lacey, Dermot Burke, Charles Davidson, Georgia Vining, Eleanor Walton, Andrew Tsolakis,Katarzyan Kil, Dannica Cespedes, Praveer Mistry, Muhammad Maqsood

Mr McNeill

BLUECOAT ACADEMY2017 COAST 2 COAST

WE RAISED

£2098.82 THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTINGRAINBOWS

I would like to say a massive well done to thestudents above who completed a 145 mile CoastTo Coast bike ride for Rainbows.

Geography Field Trips Thirty-seven Year 8 geographers spent three days and three nights inthe Brecon Beacons, Wales investigating the geography of the area.

Thursday afternoonLessons finished at 2pm, the studentsgathered at school ready to be whisked offto Wales by coach. After a quick stop tostock up on sweets and several songssung we arrived at Dolygaer MountainCentre. We were met by our instructorswho showed us around, gave us a lovelycooked meal and set up one third of thestudents for a night under the stars. Thearea is on the Edge of the Brecon BeaconsNational Park and is known for havingDark Sky Status, meaning it has minimallight pollution. The clear sky, a mug of hotchocolate and a campfire to toastmarshmallows made for a spectacularsight.

FridayWe were up early to get our breakfast thensplit into four teams for activities. For halfthe group this meant a day adventuretrekking up Pen Y Fan, the highestmountain in Southern England and Wales.Students were equipped with suitableclothing, a packed lunch and the all-important OS map. Students investigatedthe glacial landscapes, the use of watermanagement through the reservoirs inthe area, practiced their map skills andeven saw a fossilised beach at the top. Allstudents managed to reach the summit ofthe 886m mountain with some groupseven managing to bag two more summitson the way. The route back was a littlemore exciting with a descent of the steepand slippery Jacob’s Ladder. We then

headed back to the centre for a big hotmeal and it was the turn of the next thirdof students to spend their night out in thewild.

SaturdaySaturday started with an exciting trip intothe woods opposite the centre, Sky Onehad a film set up to record a new dramaabout witches. The students were able tolook around the set and even go into the‘witch’s house’ which was down by thewater’s edge. Soon after the groups weresplit again and sent off on their activities.For the mountain groups on the Fridaythis meant a chance to learn some newmap skills in the classroom then get outinto the canoes to see if we could spotsome of the features we had seen on themaps. After some great fun splashingaround it was time for lunch and to headout on our final adventurous activity;gorge walking. This involved pulling awetsuit on and investigating a gorge byjumping and climbing around. We saw allsorts of river landforms and felt the powerof the water, this was a real highlight. Weheaded back to the centre where we had ahot shower, some food and got ready forthe big geography quiz to see whichgroup had learned the most.

SundayThe final morning was busy with everyonesearching the centre and looking for theirbelongings to pack. We then headed off tothe Big Pit museum, this is a disused coal

mine and allowed us to go down into thepit and see what the conditions wouldhave been like. Some very knowledgeableex-miners were able to tell us all abouttheir experiences when it was open andhow its closure had affected the localcommunities. After a quick trip to the giftshop it was time to head home toNottingham.

A huge thank you to Miss Collins, MrMcNeill and Miss Turner for giving up theirweekend and allowing the trip to goahead. Miss Boyd

The Year 10 and 11 GCSE geographershave also been out of school and intoNottingham on the tram toinvestigate the variation in quality oflife around the city. Studentsinvestigated The Meadows, WestBridgford, Gamston and MarketSquare as part of their compulsoryhuman geography fieldwork.

We are looking forward to taking Year11 out in March to complete theirphysical geography fieldworkinvestigating the Holderness Coast inYorkshire.

A big thank you to Miss Collins and MrBirkin for coming along and makingthe trip possible.

Miss Boyd

GCSE Fieldwork

believe in yourself, in others, in God

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Update Beyond the classroom

Bluecoat perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017

Performing as The Urban Spaceman Company, the Bluecoat Wollaton and Bluecoat Aspley Academiespresented an original work, My Second Best Bed, at Venue 53, theSpace@Surgeons Hall (Nicolson Street,EH8 9DW) from August 7th-12th.

The play explored Shakespeare's lifeusing Shakespeare's words, detailing thestory of William & Anne Shakespeare,who are re-imagined and rebornthrough the narrative. It was firstconceived for the RSC’s 2016 DreamPlaymaking Festival and uses languagefrom the 38 extant plays penned by theBard, as well as incorporating several ofhis sonnets and fragments of hisextended poetry. This innovative newdrama played around with notions ofconflict between the duality of artist andlover, a man unable to resolve being thedarling of the Elizabethan and Jacobeancourt and London audiences against adesire for respectability and integrity asa husband and father.

My Second Best Bed is an original takeon some of the most famous andprofound words and stories ever created.A review on the BBC website gave theshow a four star review, observing theshow as “an intense and sometimes darkretelling… this talented young castportrays the tension between thecelebrated playwright and his family andwife… comedy and tragedy intertwinewith fast paced drama.”

Mr MansellDrama

Writer and director Joel Mansell said,“The students experienced the full andimmersive experience of the EdinburghFringe; out on the Royal Mile to drum uppublicity for the show, late night technicalrehearsals, running through the city toget from one show to another, andwonderful audience responses andfeedback. We are very proud of what theyhave achieved and how they representedBluecoat Wollaton Academy, BluecoatAspley Academy, and the Nottinghamtheatre scene overall, and we lookforward to repeating the opportunity infuture years as Bluecoat Drama continuesto push the boundaries of what itsstudents might achieve and experience,artistically.”

Update Beyond the classroom

Bluecoat Wollaton Academy and Bluecoat AspleyAcademy students, staff and alumni took took to the international stage this summer, performingat the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017.

6 7believe in yourself, in others, in God

Guided by Mrs Swinburne and Mrs Hussain, students took a tour of Nottinghamcity centre to take images linking to their theme. Prior to the visit students tookpart in a workshop to develop their understanding of composition and skillsusing SLR cameras. Ms Wareham

Update Beyond the classroom Update Beyond the classroom

Our Artists’ WorkMathew PowellMathew’s work is based aroundtransport and those specialjourneys we make as childrenand how those memories staywith us. He uses his ownphotography to create digitalmontages with a sense ofnostalgia.

Shakira DanielShakira’s work is a commentaryon the effect humans have onour landscape, how pollutionand the ever expanding urbansprawl impacts the naturalhabitat. She uses Photoshop tomanipulate and layer images,which then inform her painting.

Hassan AyoubHassan’s project is focused onNottingham’s cityscape,exploring the juxtaposition ofhistorical and contemporaryarchitecture. His work is printbased and incorporates maps ofthe city to create a busy andvibrant atmosphere.

Simran LallSimran has been looking atpattern and architectural detailas part of her project exploringcultural heritage. Simran’s workis mixed media and combines,print, textiles and collage. Heruse of gold leaf reflects the oftenluxurious and opulent aestheticsof India. Ms Wareham

Year 11 Photography Trip

The Photographic Gallery

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Mathew Powell Shakira Daniel

Simran Lall

Hassan Ayoub

Nottingham SchoolsSummer ExhibitionBluecoat Academy’s VisualArts department wasdelighted to be invited to takepart in the annual NottinghamSchools Summer Exhibitionagain this year.

The exhibition was held at the

beautiful and prestigious Waverley

Building, part of Nottingham Trent

University.

The students involved were all year11 students from the Aspley Lane andWollaton campuses who exhibitedwork from their GCSE portfolio orrecent exam pieces.

The students were;Alisha Mahmood, Franklin Moyo,Abigail Seymour, Jake Reed-Bloom,Talvinder Lall, Louise Mbugua, RioCarty, Kajol Kaur and TinasheChitsatso.

It was wonderful to see such a broadrange of work on display fromBluecoat students. Students workedin a variety of media includingdrawing, printmaking, mixed media,graphics, oil pastel and more!

The exhibition provided a fantasticopportunity for these students to seetheir work in a professional gallerysetting and be viewed by members ofthe public. A special celebratoryevent was held on Saturday 24th Junefor children, teachers and parents toattend.

Mrs Williams

The courses represented in theexhibition were A level Fine Art,Photography and Textile Design, andAS level Fine Art.

The standard of work was extremelyhigh and students had explored somedeeply personal subject matterincluding personal loss, stereotypingand dementia.

Families, staff, governors and friendswere invited to view the work at aspecial opening event on Thursday22nd June. The event was extremelywell attended and there was anexciting atmosphere in the gallery asguests were truly fascinated by thestudents’ accomplishments.

The students were overwhelmed bythe level of interest and conversationthat was sparked by their work.

We look forward to next year’sexhibition. Mrs Williams

24th 29th June2017

Bluecoat AcademyPost 16 Exhibition Opening Event

The Visual Arts Departmentwere extremely proud to hostour annual Post 16 exhibitionof student work.

Thurs22ndJune2017

VisualArts

SIXTH FORMBluecoat Academy

The year 11 Art students are currentlydeveloping their GCSE coursework.

Each student’s project is highly personalised and explores a different theme of their choosing.

Photography is an important element of thisprocess, as it provides first hand imagery whichhelps to inspire and inform the development oftheir ideas and practical work.

believe in yourself, in others, in God

Believe Day atBluecoatThis year we held our Believe days in October atboth our Aspley and Wollaton campuses.

Students had a great time, doing various activitiesin the morning which included dance, singingand even some rapping!

Students took part in team building games andactivities, learning the importance of workingtogether and valuing everyone in the group. Theday ended with students showcasing

performances they made in the morning sessions,taking part in a Communion service for the firsttime at Bluecoat, as well as hearing more aboutGod and having an opportunity to respond to theGospel message.

It was a wonderful day which helped studentsunderstand what Believing in yourself, others andGod can look like.

Miss FreemanChristian Youth Worker Wollaton and Aspley

As part of the year 7s transition into Bluecoat life the ChristianDistinctiveness team provide a day of activities and reflection on theschools’ mission statement: Believe in yourself, in others and in God.

Update Beyond the classroom

10

Introducing our new School Chaplain…

Founders day at Bluecoat

Operation Christmas ChildRevd Annabel Copeland

Tell us a little bit aboutyourselfI love God and showing othersby word and actions how muchhe loves them. I used to be ateacher and was ordained as avicar in 2005. I have a yellowLabrador called Layla who Irescued 4 years ago.

Why did you want to work atBluecoat?I loved the ethos of theAcademy and the diversity ofthe students. I was excitedabout working with othersbeing to develop the ChristianDistinctiveness of the schooland be part of enabling everystudent to become the bestversion of themselves anddiscover life in all its fullness.

What’s your favourite hobby?Going on long walks with mydog to interesting new placesor making my own cards.

What has been the best thingabout working at Bluecoat sofar?It’s so hard to pick one bestthing as there have been somany things. One highlight hasbeen getting to know somewonderful staff and students,by working together to runBelieve Day, Founders Day andOperation Christmas Child.

What is your favouritecolour?Purple.

The service is a chance forstudents to find out about therich history of the school as wellas understand why the bible issuch an important book.

We welcomed former Bluecoatstudent Revd Michael Broadleywho shared the impactreceiving a bible as a studenthad on his life. It was inspiring tosee him with the original biblehe received the many yearsbefore.

Mr Anderson and Mrs Rowellpresented the 360 students withtheir very own Braithwaiteyouth bible as a gift from theschool to them.

It was wonderful to see studentsopening them up and readingpages as soon as they hadreceived them.

Miss Freeman- Christian Youth WorkerWollaton and Aspley

We are extremely blessedthis year to have appointedReverend Annabel Copelandas our new chaplain, workingacross both Bluecoat Aspleyand Bluecoat Wollaton.

We were also delighted towelcome Naomi Gordon backas Bluecoat Aspley’s ChristianYouth Worker. Both have spentthe first term getting to knowstaff and students and I amsure I speak for all when I say,we are so happy they are here!It has been an extremely busyfirst term, but I think thehighlight for me personally, hasto be the amazing work of ouryoung people in collectingtoys, stationery, warm clothesand lots of other items, to makeup our Christmas Shoeboxes.

We have worked incollaboration with Samaritan’sPurse who send manyshoeboxes filled with gifts tochildren around the world. Weare now praying that theseboxes will bring some joy toyoung people during thisfestive season. BetweenBluecoat Wollaton, BluecoatAspley and Sixth Form, wemanaged to make 298 boxes,beating our total last year. Ahuge thank you to all of ourinspirational students and, totheir parents, who may havehad extra items on theirshopping lists recently!

Ms Lacey- Lead Teacher of ChristianDistinctiveness

On Thursday 2nd November we held our annualFounders Day service for all year 7 students across theAspley and Wollaton sites.

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Update Sixth FormUpdate Sixth Form

A level results successleads to further growth!Students at Bluecoat AcademySixth Form have delivered anotherexceptional set of A level resultsthis summer, despite thechallenges of new linear A levelspecifications.

These results have shown an increase inthe overall attainment of our students,including a record number of A* and Agrades.

These results have allowed our students totake up places on some of the mostcompetitive courses at prestigiousinstitutions.

This continued academic success has led toa period of sustained growth in number ofstudents on roll. The 2017 intake has beenno exception with over 550 studentsenrolled, representing an increase of nearly20 % on the figure of 460 in 2016. Over70% of the total number is due toincreased retention of the Academy’s ownyear 11 students, with the remainder dueto a yearly increase in recruitment from adiverse range of schools, academies andcolleges from across the city and county(21 in total in 2017). This successful trendhas been maintained through a focus onthe highest standards of teaching andlearning and the associated outcomes thathave been achieved in formalexaminations. Coupled with this is acommitment to the highest standard ofpastoral care to create a caringenvironment with a highly personalisedapproach to student well-being.

University application success!With a dedicated member of staffworking on student progression,Bluecoat Academy Sixth Form studentshave progressed onto some of the mostcompetitive courses and institutions,including Oxbridge, with over 25% ofstudents progressing to Russell Groupuniversities.

One to one assistance and guidance withthe UCAS process, from choosing a course

to the writing of the personal statementensures our students send the highest quality of application. Students wishing to choose an alternative career path are wellsupported by our in house Careers Advisorand all have opportunities for workexperience.

Our current year 13 students are workinghard on planning their next steps beyondBluecoat Academy. Whether it beuniversity, higher apprenticeships oremployment starting in Summer 2018,students are busy researching andapplying alongside their year 13 studies.With the UCAS deadline fast approachingstudents have been lucky enough to heartalks from students at the University ofLeicester on ‘Student Life’ as well as theStudent Finance England on how they willbe able to fund their higher education.

Our early entry cohort have started toreceive both offers and interviewopportunities from their chosenuniversities and are busy preparing withmock interviews. An exciting new task forthese students is a mock Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), as well as scenario basedtasks in coordination with our talentedTheatre Studies cohort, where prospectivemedical students will be challenged torespond appropriately to differentsituations, live with actors.

Leading academicsvisit the sixth formAs part of our enrichment andopportunities programme, this term theSixth Form has welcomed a number ofpresenters into the academy, includingleading university academics.

These included Dr Steven Le Comber from Queen Mary University of London whoprovided a personal statement workshopfor our year 13 students and offered alecture titled ‘Maths, Murder and Malaria’.We also welcomed Professor MikeStephenson, Director of Science andTechnology at the British GeologicalSurvey, who presented to all of year 12 oncurrent geological issues and geology as acareer.

University applications are a priority formany of our year 13 students at presentand we have also been fortunate enoughto welcome representatives from StudentFinance England who advised the cohorton the application process.

Charity workApart from studying hard, our SixthFormers are encouraged to be involvedin extra- and super- curricular activities.

Already this term, our Sixth Formers acrossboth sites have donated gifts to fill 28shoeboxes to make Christmas parcels forthe Christmas Child appeal; raised £140+for Children in Need by baking and sellingcakes and are planning a Christmas Partyfor 25+ adults with learning difficultiesfrom a local support group.

Mr Peel – Vice Principal & Head of Sixth Form

SIXTH FORMBluecoat Academy

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Sports News

This year is the 3rd year we have run ourinitiative ‘Girls in Sport’ at BluecoatAspley Academy.

Our aim has been to increase girls’participation in extra-curricular sport andwe do this by offering girls only sessionswith activities changing on a termly basis(or half termly depending on the demandof an activity). As well as the practicalelement to the sessions, we also discussthe importance of leading healthy andactively lifestyles (including educating

about balanced diets), throughout school and in the future.

To reward the students for their continuedefforts to improve their health, fitness andoverall wellbeing, booklets are given andtimes dedicated to physical activity aresigned off and recorded inside them. Thegirls receive pins to wear on their blazersand other tangible prizes for achievingmilestones first. Sports Science encouragesgirls to participate in this excellentinitiative and begin their journey andpassion for exercise in school.

In September, we teamed up with ‘This GirlCan’; the National initiative run by SportsEngland. By doing this we are able to offera carefully selected cohort of girls at

Bluecoat Aspley Academy the opportunityto run a committee that takes lead of ourcampaign in school by promoting exerciseclasses in Act of Worships, producingmonthly newsletters and listening to theideas of girls around school then feedingthese back at committee meetings. Theyalso give their time to the community bysupporting local school sport eventswhere they are required to take on rolessuch as officiating, scoring and beingpositive sporting role models for theyounger children. Mrs Peel

Sports News

Girls in sport

Bluecoat Vs Marylebone Cricket ClubThe Aspley Year 7 Football team

In the summer of 2017 Bluecoat were honoured to beasked to play a cricket fixture against the famousMarylebone Cricket Club.

This was a first for Bluecoat. Students were selected from bothcampuses and even former students to make the team up toface the MCC on the 17th of July.

The game was held at Caythorpe CC which was an amazingsetting for this great privilege. Students arrived early in theirsuits ready to face the MCC. As the students took to the pitch tofield after putting the MCC in to bat, this was a strong decisionas early wickets fell, however the MCC came back strong andfinished batting on 210 runs for 7 wickets.

After tea it was Bluecoat’s turn to bat. Again a few early wicketsfell and this was a sorry site with 55 for 4 on the score boardafter 17 overs. Bluecoat managed to steady the boat and startputting runs on the score board without losing wickets.

However the MCC finished the match by bowling Bluecoat outfor 182 runs. The game was played in such great spirits fromboth teams with the Marylebone Cricket Club being impressed with the students’ talents.

The Marylebone Cricket Club have agreed to carry this fixtureon in the future.

This day wouldn’t have happened without the help of oursponsors: W R Bloodworth & Sons LTD, Let's Let Properties Nottingham.

Mr P McNeill

Students involved; Kasim Latif, Zain Araf, Bilal Haq, WaleedAhmed,Bikram Rathore, Adam Majid, Ameer Kotze, RehanAhmed,Abneer Irfan

The Aspley Year 7 Football team have madean excellent start to theirtime at Bluecoat Academy,with progress in both theleague and the FP cup.

The squad have made it to the quarter finals of theCounty Cup after victories over Djanogly and Carlton Academy, andlook forward to seeing who they draw next. In the league, the teamhave won two, drawn one and lost two so far. They have also played ina 6-a-side tournament at Powerleagues. Things are tight at the top ofthe Golden Boot standings, with Kesharn Brown (7AB) having scoredfour, and Jayden-Samuel Lawrence-Lowther (7AB) hot on his heels withthree. The coach of the team, PE Teacher Mr Cragg said “I’m reallyenjoying working with this team, not just because of the great resultswe’ve had, but also watching them develop as footballers and youngmen. I am especially pleased to say that, so far, we have used 23different players from our squad and have more training hard, waitingfor their opportunity.”

It’s safe to say, football is booming at Bluecoat Aspley Academy, and wewish the team all the best for the second half of the season.Mr Cragg

Our ‘This Girl Can’ mentors were asked to support a year 5 and 6 indoor athletics competition in November.

The girls did extremely well! They took on officiating and time-keeping roles, as well as demonstrating in front of many teachersand students. The girls conducted themselves professionally andcame across very well. Excellent role models for the young students!Mrs Peel

Well done Bluecoat girls

‘THIS GIRL CAN’ Mentors

believe in yourself, in others, in God