Summer 13 - Outwood Grange Academy

Students First
Summer 13
Outlook
The news magazine of
Outwood Grange Family of Schools
Food Technology in focus
Beyond outstanding
AS the Outwood Family of Schools
expands, so does the need for
building leadership capacity to
ensure the year-on-year exam
successes for our students. Since
2001, when I began my Headship
at Outwood Grange Academy,
succession planning has always
been a key focus area. It was
a privilege to hand over the
Headship at Outwood Grange
Academy firstly to Julie Slater
and in more recent years to
Martyn Oliver. Both ex-Principals
have moved into their new
roles working across the Family
of Schools and Martyn Oliver
maintains his relationship with the
Academy as Executive Principal.
I am now delighted to
have Sabiha Laher driving the
Academy forward as the next
Acting Principal. Sabiha Laher
has been at Outwood Grange
Academy for 12 years, having
started as a Newly Qualified
Teacher in 2001. She is the very
first Principal at the Academy
to have worked her way
through different roles to secure
this position, which is a clear
demonstration of succession
planning in action. I know that
Sabiha will continue focusing
Cooking with
confidence
Warm welcome: Michael Wilkins, Julie Slater,
Martyn Oliver and Sabiha Laher.
relentlessly on putting ‘Students
First’ and help them all achieve
their full potential.
I hope you enjoy reading the
articles and join me in celebrating
many student successes. Can I
also take this opportunity to thank
all parents and carers for their
continued support as students
approach the main examination
period in the year.
I wish them all well and hope to
celebrate their many successes in
the summer.
Michael Wilkins, Academy Principal
and Chief Executive
Skiing in Italy
DURING the Easter break, 41 students from Years 9 to 11 set off
for the Italian Alps to experience skiing and snowboarding in
the resort of Bormio.
As well as 50km of glorious skiing in the sunshine, highlights
included ice skating, a pizzeria, singing, dance-offs and lots
of laughter. Befriending one of the ski instructors, we took over
the town square during a visit to his local café.
Annabelle Le Havre, Aspiring Leader
IN Guidance lessons, Year 13 students have been
learning how to cook as part of their preparation
for university life.
Under the direction of Mrs Hodge, students
learnt how to make healthy choices and how to
budget their meals, with dishes such as chilli con
carne, pasta, shepherd’s pie and pizza ranging
from 67p to £2.50.
Some students were faced with ingredients
and techniques they had never encountered
before, and rose to the challenge magnificently,
culminating in Tom Eaton being voted ‘Master
Chef 2013’ at the Year 13 leavers’ lunch.
First aid training: Shannon Brown, Kim Taylor and
Nathan Taylor, with Megan Pickles, Year 12.
Lifesaving skills
A GROUP of enthusiastic
Health and Social Care
Sixth Form students
took part in a St John
Ambulance First Aid
training course during
Immersion Day.
Students learnt
valuable practical
lifesaving skills such as
administering CPR,
It’s the
real
thing!
putting a casualty in
the recovery position,
learning how to use a
defibrillator and various
bandaging techniques.
Several students are
hoping to pursue a
career in the health and
social care services,
so they found the day
extremely useful.
Katie Rutter,
Associate Assistant Principal
OUTWOOD Grange Academy’s Year 12 BTEC
Business students were delighted to be given the
opportunity to visit Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd.
The visit to the world’s third-largest independent
Coca-Cola bottler consisted of an introduction
to the history of the company, a chance to
meet and question employees, and a tour of the
factory’s education centre and new, £50 million
state-of-the-art production line.
Musab Al-Khateeb, Teacher of Business Studies
Revision
on the
menu
STUDENTS and subject
departments have been taking
part in new style, after-school
revision sessions in the Post-16
Study area.
Students can gain instant
feedback from subject staff,
who are supported by Post-16
Learning Managers.
With plenty of refreshments
to hand in the form of hot
and cold drinks and snacks,
students have found the
sessions to be a valuable and
enjoyable experience.
Elaine Senior,
Post-16 Learning Manager
Focused study: Harry Walsh and
Azka Arshad, Year 13.
Suzie Day, Director of Post-16 Learning
Recipe for university: Emily McGee and Evan Berriman, Year 13.
Appetite for
healthy eating
OUTWOOD Grange Academy, led by
the Design and Technology Department,
recently took part in the British Nutrition
Foundation (BNF) National Healthy Eating
Week, from 3rd to 7th June.
The aim of the week was to promote
healthy diets (food and drink) to improve
the understanding of where food comes
from and explore food and meal planning.
The focus on healthy eating was then
continued in VMGs, within a variety
of lessons (especially Year 7), and
enrichments including DT, Science, PE,
Life and within the Bridge.
Brenda Hodge, Head of Food Technology
Survey provides
food for thought
KEY Stage 3 Food Technology
and Key
Stage 4 GCSE Food students were
given
the opportunity to take part in
the National
Pupil Survey run by the British Nutr
ition
Foundation. The purpose of the
National
Survey was to find out whether
children
and young people know where
food
comes from, and what they do
and think
with regard to healthy eating and
cooking.
The online survey took place betw
een
15-26th April 2013, and provoke
d much
discussion in Food lessons.
Brenda Hodge, Head of Food
Technology
Online survey: Reece Blackburn and
Sam
Higson-Blythe, Year 8.
Budding cooks
club together
STUDENTS from across Key Stage 4 have been
learning a variety of cooking skills, as well as
having a great deal of fun.
The students have produced a wide range
of different foods, including breads, pastry
products and pasta dishes, as well as
baking healthy cakes and biscuits. Some
students dropped by to find out what GCSE
Food is like, while others wanted to learn
how to cook for themselves.
Recently, two of our ITE students,
Ginnette Hatton (Maths) and Laura
Frogett (DT), have been joining in and
getting to know our students in a different
working environment, to add to their own
knowledge and career development.
Brenda Hodge, Head of Food Technology
Fun ingredients: Anya Rodwell
and Emma Garnet, Year 10.
Culinary
challenge
DO you love a challenge?
Are you passionate about
cooking and producing
high quality food?
Teams of two from Years
9, 10 and 11 GCSE Food
and Nutrition certainly are.
In response to an invitation
to enter the Wakefield
College MasterChef-style
competition, they will be
designing and creating a
three-course meal for two
people in two hours.
Brenda Hodge, Head of Food
Technology
An audience with OJAM
Singers
raise
the roof
THE talented boys’ vocal group, OJAM, have successfully been chosen to attend
the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham in July after a superb
performance in the regional festival in March.
The boys are in fine voice and ‘wowed’ both the audience and adjudicators.
We are all very proud of their achievement.
Michelle Colvill, Head of Music
On song: Members of OJAM.
DURING the last two Immersion
Days, vocal coach James Lewis
worked with Key Stage 3 students,
developing their singing.
This involved learning a number of
popular songs in several parts, including
Empire State of Mind and Dynamite.
The results were outstanding, and the
recordings of their performances can be
heard on the NuMu site.
Michelle Colvill, Head of Music
Students spur
Wildcats to victory!
ON Saturday 4th Ma
y, Wakefield
Wildcats played the
Catalan Dragons
in a Super League en
counter, with
Outwood Grange pro
viding the
pre-match entertainm
ent.
Our Year 9 girls gave
an exhibition
display of their own
rugby league skills,
followed by on-pitch
performances from
the BTEC Dance gro
up, the Elite dance
group and Viral, the
all-boys dance crew.
Pitch side, the Year 11
Rugby team
took part in a sponso
red ‘exercise-athon’ to raise money
for their summer
trip to Australia while,
in the VIP
restaurant, Sophie Wi
lliams and
Bethan Hanks Gutie
rrez provided
musical entertainmen
t.
The match was watch
ed by hundreds
of Outwood Grange
students and staff
who cheered the Wi
ldcats on to victory!
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In tune: Chloe Wood, Year 13, Nathan Chow,
Year 8, and Joe Stacey, Year 12.
ON 30th April, Outwood Grange hosted the Music at Springtime
concert, to showcase some of the fantastic musical talent we have
here at the Academy.
With performances from J41, The Signatures, The Sopraltos, OJAM,
Flute Group, Clarinet Group and many soloists (Chloe Wood, Nathan
Chow, Alice Leebetter, Joe Stacey, Dean Cunningham, Sally Phillips,
Chris Fox and Julia Lansbury), the night was a great success.
We would like to thank all the students who have worked so hard
during rehearsals to prepare for this concert.
Michelle Colvill, Head of Music
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In fine voice: Senior Cho
Big Bang
Marketing maestros
and beyond?the first
WORKING in close collaboration
with the Drama Department, the
Business Studies Department
was given the responsibility
of marketing the Academy’s
production of the musical Oliver!
at Wakefield Theatre Royal
in July.
The marketing team, consisting
of Business Studies students
from Years 10-13, produced a
complete marketing package,
including a pitch to the managers
of Trinity Walk, a professional
trailer, advertisements on local
k part in
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ON 20th March, Key
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radio, posters, flyers, social
networking, business cards and
personalised T-shirts.
Mr Al-Khateeb, Teacher of
Business Studies, said: “The
marketing team took to their
roles like ducks to water and
relished the opportunity to
apply their knowledge of the
marketing mix to a real-life
scenario. I am very proud of their
professionalism, enthusiasm and
what they achieved.”
Musab Al-Khateeb,
Teacher of Business Studies
Team effort: Wui Yang, Hannah Butterfield and
Aster Abebe, Year 12.
Ahead of schedule
IN March, 97 Year 11 students sat their Maths
GCSE. A total of 38 achieved a C grade and 82%
of students improved their grade from Year 10.
The Maths Department is very proud of all our
students for their commitment and hard work
this year. Our research found that, in general,
students had made good use of their revision
packs and found the Mathswatch CD a useful
resource, as it enabled them to work at their
own pace.
Chain reaction: Sam
Henderson, Year 12.
Cutting-edge genetics
A GROUP of Year 13 students visited the University of Manchester
Museum to take part in a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) workshop.
Extracting cheek cell samples, they broke them open to isolate the
DNA. Afterwards, they amplified them (made loads of copies) using
PCR, then separated out the DNA samples by electrophoresis.
Science Fair: Eve Colley,
Scott Bowman, Teacher of Maths
Year 8.
The right equation: Becky Riley and Charlie Padfield, Year 11.
Vicki Joyce, Teacher of Science
Democracy in action: Tom Wilkinson, Kelly Spencer and Elliot
Beckwith, Year 12.
Order! Order!
FORTY current and future Government & Politics
students visited the Houses of Parliament in
London. The students were given a guided tour of
the chambers and witnessed debates in both the
House of Commons and the House of Lords. There
was even time to meet, and put questions to, the
Shadow Chancellor and local MP, Ed Balls.
After touring Westminster, the students also took
a trip on the London Eye.
Adam Price, Teacher of Government & Politics
Judge and jury: Beth Stringer and Lewis
Clarkson, Year 9, with PC Craig.
Long arm
of the law
THE Public Services group has been working with PC Craig
toward their BTEC level 2 award on the unit, ‘The Law and its
impact on the individual and society’.
As a result, the enthusiastic students from Years 9, 10 and 11
have covered the origins and development of the UK’s legal
and court system.
In addition to developing their knowledge on all aspects
of arrest, charging, trial and sentencing, they have gained
respect and practical understanding of police powers through
several sessions about real-life experiences.
Caroline Langley, Teacher of RE and Public Services
Students have
their day in court
THIS academic year, we held our first Citizenship
Immersion Days for Years 9 and 10.
Law students from Bradford came in to run a mock trial,
using our own students as the defendant, prosecution,
defence, judge and jury. We also invited a magistrate,
who discussed the nature of criminal courts and the
ways in which young people are treated when they have
broken the law.
Finally, PC Craig gave examples of some of the ways
young people can be affected by breaking our laws.
Yve Logan-Winters, Head of Life and Citizenship
Vogue for
recycling
TWELVE of our budding fashion
designers took part in Wakefield
Council’s Recycled Fashion Show
against Year 8 students from nine
other local schools.
Each of the three teams –
Summer Styles, Fashionistas and
Fashion Dolls – had designed and
made a creative piece of fashion
during lessons.
The girls had to model and
present a pitch to more than 100
people, and answer questions from
the judges on what they had learnt
about recycling during the project.
Sara Stevens, Second in Design
Technology
Art students get set for university
THE pre-BA Art foundation course
at Leeds College of Art is highly
oversubscribed, with 75% of
applicants turned down.
This year, every Outwood Grange
Academy student who applied for the
course has been offered a place!
After Sixth Form, students study Art
for a year at a local college where
they gain valuable knowledge
about contemporary Art and Design
practice and make crucial decisions
about what they want to study
at university.
Art degrees include such diverse
subjects as photojournalism, interior
design, digital production, visual
merchandising and stop-motion
animation. Students have to choose
their university degrees wisely,
and the foundation course at Leeds
is the best way to make these
informed decisions.
Good foundation: Evan Berriman, Ovidija Zemaityte, Naomi
Crompton, Sam Atack and Caitlin O’Connell, Year 13.
Howard Jackson, Head of Art
Badge of
Gymnast flies high
honour
IN May, Year 8 student Milly Eaton won silver
at the British Gymnastics Championships in
Stoke, making her No 2 at her level in
Great Britain.
Milly started acrobatic gymnastics at
the age of five, and now trains up to 21
hours a week. Her other achievements
include winning gold and silver medals
at Yorkshire’s Acro Competition
over three consecutive years and
achieving gold in Belgium at the
Flanders International competition
earlier this year.
IN May, 23 students
from Outwood Gr
ange
Academy were inv
ited to receive the
ir
Sports Federation
Badges, after rep
resenting
Wakefield through
out the year acros
sa
range of disciplin
es. These included
football,
cross-country, ne
tball, badminton
and
indoor athletics. Th
is is the greatest nu
mber
of students from the
Academy to have
been
selected for this pr
estigious award.
In addition, stude
nts Corbyn Kilday,
Jordan
Harper, Max Jowi
tt and Jacob Wa
re were
recognised for the
ir achievements at
a
national level.
You can follow the
ir progress via the
PE
Twitter account, @O
GAcademyPE
Mary Milner,
Year 8 Learning Manager
Medal winner: Milly
Eaton, Year 8.
Nicola Copley, He
ad of PE
Students take up the challenge
IN conjunction with National Sport Week
at the end of June, students at Outwood
Grange were challenged to take part in
a new activity.
Throughout the week, the PE
Department ran a wide range of exciting
curricular and extra-curricular activities.
GB Thai boxer Rachael MacKenzie also
shared her experiences of sport and
competition during a special assembly.
In addition, students were invited to
send in a video showing them taking part
in a sport or physical activity. The most
creative and inventive video/activity
was entered into a prize draw.
Nicola Copley, Head of PE
County runner
y Robinson represented
IN April, Year 10 student Luc
Marathon.
don
Lon
i
Yorkshire in the Min
ile course in 19
e-m
thre
the
ed
plet
com
y
Luc
the 72 girls
of
out
54th
minutes, placing her
ed.
pet
who com
er, and the
Lucy is a very dedicated runn
in this event is
shire
York
nt
rese
rep
to
opportunity
ked this year
wor
has
testament to how hard she
l.
goa
to reach her
Head of PE
Nicola Copley,
nson, Year 10.
Running for Yorkshire: Lucy Robi
Rugby teams
triumph
AFTER beating Castleford 34-16 and winning
the Yorkshire Cup, the Year 10 boys’ rugby
team is currently in contention for their first
National final. The boys will play current
National Champions, St Peter & Paul.
Other recent triumphs include beating
local rivals Freeston for the first time
since Year 7.
Meanwhile, the Year 9 girls have
continued to develop as a team. They
won the Wakefield Schools’ Cup,
beating St Wilfrid’s, Castleford and
Ossett. They successfully reached
the Yorkshire Cup final, beating
Sirius Academy in the semi-final,
and are still in the running for the
National final after reaching the
last 16 of the competition.
Kat Slater, Teacher of PE
Team effort: Saffron Greenwood, Molly
Hartley, Olivia Lambert and Charlotte
Heptinstall, Year 9.
Outwood Grange Academy, Potovens Lane, Outwood, Wakefield WF1 2PF.
Tel: (01924) 204350 Email: enquiries@grange.outwood.com
Editorial team: Alison Jackson, Jayne Watson, Nikki Luke and Rupert Burgess.
Produced by Words&Pictures. Tel. 01943 854800.
Proud winners: Outwoo
d Grange
students with their bad
ges.