Raising Achievement - Seaham School of Technology

TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
page 3
Seaham School of Technology
Welcome
Welcome to the Horizon, our brand new
style newsletter which is designed to keep
you better informed on the activities going
on in Seaham School of Technology and
also to celebrate the achievements of the
young people of Seaham. I hope you enjoy
looking through the content of Horizon and
that you will recognise many familiar faces.
As you will be aware the school is now “back
on track” following the recent Ofsted
inspection. Thanks to the endeavours of the
staff and students we look forward to our
future successes. I am proud to be
associated with the young people of
Seaham and you will see in the following
pages the huge amount of talent that they
possess.
We are about to say farewell to our
present Year 11 cohort and we wish
them every success in their future
lives. They have been a unique year
group who have risen to the
challenges in their education and I
am confident that they will achieve
an outstanding set of GCSE results
this summer.
If you have any ideas on how we
can improve this newsletter or have
any suggestions for future articles
please contact the school by email
at seaham@durhamlearning.net or
alternatively contact Mr Lumsdon,
Deputy Head Teacher on
0191 5161 600.
Dave Shield
Head Teacher
Fund Raising
As always Seaham students give generously
when it comes to national and local fund
raising events. The 2010 Children in Need
Appeal was no different raising a fabulous
£1314.80. Numerous events took place
throughout the day centring on a Come as
you please day and many Year 11’s in
particular took the opportunity to wear fancy
dress. Other events included a cake sale and
Teacher’s in the stocks.
Thanks to all involved.
Foreword
This is our first newsletter in this format. We intend to produce this
biannually in the first instance. The next version will be produced in
December. We hope that you enjoy reading it, find it informative,
interesting and learn a lot more about what goes on at our school.
Educational Visits are a huge part of the school curriculum at
Seaham. They are a worthwhile, stimulating experience that in
many instances help shape students views, communication skills
and are often never forgotten. Visits are never easy to organise
and understandably a huge responsibility for staff. Nevertheless
since October there have been at least 23 educational visits not
including sporting fixtures. These activities are as diverse as ski-ing
in Aviemore, Alton Towers, National Media Museum, the Lake
District and meeting the Holocaust survivor at Durham Cathedral
on Holocaust Memorial Day. Details of some of these are included
in the newsletter. Forthcoming visits include New York in October
half term. The success of visits at Seaham is testament to the hard
work and dedication of staff at the school.
Please take note of the sections on
curriculum change and raising
achievement. Much work has been done
over the last two years to improve the
school in terms of raising achievement,
learning and teaching and behaviour. The
ethos of the school is positive and
student voice questionnaires highlight the
improvements, whilst areas we still need to
work on. Part of this improvement was the
introduction of the new school uniform in
2010. The impact of this is hard to measure but commented on by
many within the school and the wider community. Students look
smart and this is reflected in their attitude to learning. Many
students feel dressed for work and this impacts on how they view
themselves and others view them.
We would like to thank you for your support in this and ask you for
your continued support. Please remind your child that hooded
tops/ caps etc should not be worn inside school? Also can you
remind them that ear rings should be no bigger than a 5 pence
coin?
Equipment is an integral part of educational success. Being
prepared to study with the correct equipment, including pen,
pencil, ruler and planner is what helps ensure progression and
success. Please support us by encouraging your children to come
to school prepared to learn.
Promoting healthy eating is an important aspect of the role of a
school. It is part of the Every Child Matters agenda and we would
be remiss if we did not encourage this. A major concern of ours at
the moment is students drinking fizzy drinks during the school day.
Whilst we do not wish to lecture individuals we would prefer it if
students did not drink high energy drinks during the day as it
impacts on performance and behaviour in particular. We do
encourage students to drink water during the day as medical
research has proven that this improves educational performance.
We would be grateful if you could
support us in this by encouraging
the same.
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
Important dates for the Calendar
• 27th May Break up for half term
• 6th June Return to School
• 1st July School closed
• 14th July Year 7 Parent Evening
• 20th July Flamingoland trip
• 22nd July Break up for Summer holidays
• 6th September Return to School
Finally we are sure you are already aware but the school was
removed from Special Measures on Friday March 25th by
OFSTED. We were delighted by this development and were
particularly pleased with the strength of the report, which praised a
number of areas in the school and was indicative of the
achievements we have made over the last two years. To view the
OFSTED report please go to the OFSTED website, which is
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/. We have included some comments
from the report at different points throughout the news letter.
Please be assured this is just the
beginning of the journey for Seaham
School of Technology, our clear
determination is to be judged good
overall at the next inspection.
“Overall parents were very
supportive of the school
and recognised the
improvements that
were evident”
OFSTED 2011
Governors
ries of Governor
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page 3
Awards Evening
This year’s event took place on the 15th February
after being delayed by the December snowfall.
This year's awards evening was a roaring success, taking
place at the Tom Cowie Lecture Theatre at Sunderland
University's St Peter's campus. Proud parents watched
students receive awards celebrating a variety of academic
achievements. Presenting duties fell to year 11 students
including the Head Boy and Head Girl who performed
admirably, and music was likewise provided by our talented
young musicians.
110 students received awards in a variety of categories
including Best Overall Key Stage 4 Performance, Princess
Diana Inspirational Pupil award and Head teachers Award.
BBC Look North presenter Jeff Brown was our guest
speaker and delivered an excellent speech about sticking in
at school and pursuing all available opportunities. Thanks
go to Mrs Whitehead for organising another brilliant event,
and to everybody who attended.
Also a special thanks to our sponsors for the evening, which
include…..
“Students feel
safe and secure
in school”
OFSTED 2011
Attendance
Good attendance is vitally important if students are to succeed
and achieve their potential.
91.5% attendance equates to 17 days absence in an academic
year. Research shows that on average this can lead to
students achieving 1 grade lower at GCSE than they should.
Students at Seaham generally have good attendance and we
would like to ask parents to continue to support us in
continually encouraging and promoting good attendance.
Having said that 54 students at Seaham as of the 6th May
2011 had 100% attendance this academic year, which is a
fantastic achievement and deserving of special recognition. We
have checked that that the list is entirely accurate and that noone has been missed off. However, occasionally mistakes are
made and if we have can we apologise in advance and ask
those individuals to make themselves known to us and we will
page
3
endeavour
to put the mistake right.
Jordan Allan, Tammy-Leigh Allison, Matthew Armstrong,
Liam Atkinson, Dillan Beaghan, Natalie Bowmaker, Emma
Brannigan, Michael Brigham, Caitlin Clark, Georgia Cole,
Morgan Collings, Adam Dean, Charlotte Dean, Jaye Dixon,
Callum Drakesmith, Josh Elliott, Christopher Elmy, Benjamin
Feechan, Jordan Fitches, Ashleigh Gowland, Callum Grice,
Rachel Griffin, Elise Hardie, Terri Healer, Ellis Hilton, Aidan
Horseman, Andrew Kennedy, Chloe Kennedy Jade Kennedy,
Liam Kennedy, Drew Laws, Natasha Longstaff, Tyler Low,
Ethan Lowther, Ethan McGhin, Conor Newby, Bethan Parker,
Jack Patton, Courtney Pipe, Kieran Robinson, Lisa Robson,
Adam Rutherford, Kathryn Selvey, Courtney Shaw, Dale
Shaw, Dale Simpson, Matthew Simpson, Chloe Swinney,
Alexander Thomas, Lauren Thompson, Liam Thompson, Jack
Tomlinson, Gemma Walters, Billy Wilkinson.
Well done to everyone involved!
We began our long journey north to the Cairngorms at 9.00am from
Seaham School of Technology, students arrived with enough food
to last a week! It was quite a pleasant journey and the driving was
ok, Mr Hardy followed an imaginary diversion sign which took him
through the picturesque town of Alnwick, Mr Self had a very close
encounter with a give way sign and Mr McCracken blames Angus
Deayton for missing a turn he should have taken!! We did all arrive
safely.
Our first day on the mountain arrived and we drove up to the
Cairngorms some of the students looked at the mountain and said
no way am I going down there! The ski instructors took charge and
off they went, most students had never been on a tow lift and more
fell off on the way up than made it to the top!
The intermediates went off round the mountain and the beginners
started on the nursery slopes, lots of falling over, laughter and
strops (particularly from Mr Self!).
slopes. The students agreed after
day one on it and all progressed in
leaps and bounds, they had a
fantastic time flying down the
mountain, some without control at
times which added to the fun.
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
Evenings were great, students and staff enjoyed each others
company mixing together for a variety of activities, Wii games had
staff and students pitched against each other but students always
won, there was a lot of dancing which won’t win any competitions
but was greaww.hott fun, scary movie night was a great success
with students jumping out of chairs at times but all managed to
sleep afterwards. Mr Hardy’s quiz night was huge success as
always.
We ended the week with a day at Loch Insh where students went
mountain biking, snow boarding, did archery and sledging a great
time was had by all.
After the first day the instructors felt it would be better for our group
to go to the Lecht which is still a mountain but with much gentler
Student Hig
hlights
It was all fab
, crack was
great,
skiing was b
rill, teachers
were
mint (Billie).
The whole tr
ip was amaz
ing the
best I’ve bee
n on with th
e
school!! Too
hard to one
highlight. (Jen
nifer.)
ohn
Self’s jokes (J
The Quiz, Mr
g
in
ik
B
Mountain
and Agatha),
ki
S
e,
t enjoyabl
hard work bu
ror
e laugh, “Hor
th
instructors,
a few
t
go
tful and
night was even
ds
la
e
th
tly from
screams, mos
g
in
rise.” Mak
surprise, surp
es.
ore difficult slop
m
progress to
Kate)
(Rachael and
The best thing wa
s the 2nd and
3rd day of skiing
because I had
more confidence
and could ski.
(Ashleigh)
Mike, sleep, ta
lking in each
others rooms,
Beths
marshmallows,
teachers, winni
ng
the quiz, sledgi
ng and archer
y.
(Beth and Anna
)
Staff Highlights
us group of
Watching a fabulo
gether, helping
to
students mixing
ch other and
and supporting ea
having fun!! Mr
most importantly
s will never be
Self’s magic trick
ly the
lar
cu
forgotten parti
rs Evans)
(M
.
nd
mechanical ha
Mr Self’s
inability to
Give Way
and Mr H
ardy’s lac
k of basic
road man
agement.
Mr
McCrack
en’s meth
o
d of exitin
ski lift and
ga
Mr Self’s
speedy
decent. (M
iss Nugen
t)
Ski Trip
Seaham School's annual skiing trip
was a resounding success once more
this year. 27 pupils from years 7-11
braved the cold, venturing to Aviemore in
Scotland for five days of outdoor adventure.
They visited the Cairngorm Mountains and the
Lecht skiing centre, and when the winds were
too high on their final day were treated to
archery, mountain biking or snowboarding.
Evening entertainment included RockBand
and Wii tournaments, quiz night and horror
movie night. A good time was had by all.
Thank you to all staff and pupils who
made it a trip to remember.
page 5
Peer Supporters
This year’s peer supporters have once again been
a credit to themselves and the school. A selection
of year 10 students became peer supporters after
taking part in an intensive day’s training with our
Anti-bullying counsellors. During the day they
were taught about body language, listening and
questioning techniques, in order to help support
students who may be experiencing bullying
problems.
Our peer supporters are on hand each lunch-time
to listen and support any pupils who are in need
of help. They give up their free time to provide this
excellent service to the school. The scheme also
helps the peer supporters themselves by giving
them an opportunity to give something back to
their community and giving themselves
confidence and self esteem.
Seaham Town Park
New Play Area
Seaham School is an Anti-bullying school and we
provide many opportunities to support pupils and
highlight different types of bullying. We have
regular awareness assemblies and take an active
part in activities such as Anti-bullying weeks. We
also have a nationally recognised Anti-bullying
Accreditation which is reviewed every two years.
Students from Seaham School have been involved with the design and
consultation process for the new play area in Seaham Town Park, close to the
school. Following the successful input students had been working with the
designers and Seaham Council on the Skate Park, students were invited to
help evaluate and choose designs for a play area in the same location.
Well done to our peer supporters for another
successful year. For any further information please
contact Mrs Lowerson-Marshall.
Laura Jorgenson (yr 8) said ‘Pupils don’t usually get to make these kinds of
decisions. Since we’re the ones who will use the park it’s good that we get to
choose what goes in it. ‘
The facilities are for all age groups; from toddlers to adults.
The equipment includes an outdoor gym area, slides
integrated into the embankment, zip wire, and challenging
climbing structures to name a few.
Future Business
Magnates 2011
For the third year running a group of
year 8 pupils are taking part in a Business
Enterprise event called Future Business
Magnates. It is a county wide competition
and this year over 20 schools are taking
part. The teachers involved from Seaham
School are Miss Wise and Mr Reid.
Kate Savage
Sophie Leng
Lucy Farrell
Samantha
Sanderson
Rebecca Earlie
Michael Brigham
Ethan Mcghin
Damien Waites
Throughout the year the team takes part in various business related
challenges which link to developing a business idea. Tasks include
teamwork challenges, writing business reports, analysing finance and
conducting a dragons den style presentation in front of a panel of
successful business people from the North East. Throughout the year
teams received points for the various challenges which are awarded for
things like organisation, time management and creativity. At the end of the
year students are invited to a prestigious awards dinner at The Ramside
Hall Hotel in Durham where they spend the evening being waited on and
have the opportunity to mix with various local celebrities.
Early January the team took part in challenge 1 which is a team building
day in Durham. During the day they competed against the other schools
in activities that involved demonstrating their ability to work as a team.
Throughout the day they collected points for the different tasks and
finished in second place overall. This was a great achievement for the
students who are hoping to continue their success throughout the
competition.
The park was opened on the 14th April by the town’s Mayor
Councillor Brian Allen. He was joined by Sunderland players
David Meyler and Nedum
Onuoha, the four Seaham
students involved in the design,
Laura Jorgenson, Sean
Atkinson, Adam Leigh and
Adam Talbot.
More than 500 local youngsters
were present for the opening.
The £217,000 park was funded by the Big Lottery Fund,
County Durham Council, Play Builder Fund and Seaham
Town Council. Year 9 student Sean Atkinson said “There
were 4 options to pick from and we had to make the choice.
We picked this one because it looked the most fun and the
most enjoyable for all ages. We hope everybody likes it.”
rs Club
Young Enginee Year 9 students take
night a group of
Every Wednesday
is
eers. The school
hool’s Young Engin
part in Seaham Sc
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ship with NSK LT
working in partner
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ed
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neering challenge
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ise
as
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the awareness of
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• A computer co
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tdown clock for
• A Digital coun
in order to
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Students were en
iasm.
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demonstrate mot
Ready
Steady
Cook!
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
As part of our Technology Specialism status on the morning of 13th
December we hosted an interschool cooking challenge with Y9 students
from The Hermitage, Chester-le-Street and Dene School, Peterlee. Our
team consisted of:
Ai
m Hi
gherHovercraftEvent
On the 4th February 2011 4 students, Laura Harriman, Bethan parker,
Chloe Rudkin and Umay Shah attended an Aim Higher event at
Spennymoor Leisure centre. The event was led by the University of
Bradford and involved the design and construction of a hovercraft.
The event was aimed at Year 11 girls in an attempt to raise awareness
about career opportunities in engineering. Other schools involved
were Sunnydale, Ferryhill, Durham Johnson and the Hermitage.
The girls were split into groups and made to work collaboratively with
other schools. The task was to design and make a hovercraft from
foam board and craft materials provided by the University. The
hovercraft had to support a member of the team 9 the pilot for the
race) and be decorated. The students were given an instruction
booklet with design parameters for the base and instructions for
assembly. It also contained mathematical equations to support
students.
Once the hovercraft was completed the students had to give a
presentation on the design of their craft and outline how they worked
as a team and how they tested their product. The crafts from all
teams competed against each other in a race. Judges awarded the
Seaham craft in second place with marks being awarded for design,
teamwork and effectiveness.
• Ashleigh Gowland
• Eleanor Hudson
• Laura Tomlin
• Chloe Magee
• Leah Purdy
• Abbie Gibbs
• Courtney Knight
• Jade Lawson
Each school had 2 teams each being given a bag of the same
ingredients. They had ½ and hour to plan then one hour to cook.
Most prepared several dishes per team in the best spirit of Ready
Steady Cook and we were honoured to have the restaurant manager
and chef from Seaham Hall visit us to judge. They declared the
Hermitage winners but it was very close!
The morning was thoroughly enjoyed by all and we hope to make it
an annual event. We are planning further joint ventures with the two
other schools, the next will be an inter-form sand yacht competition
in the summer.
Active Learning Days
One of the areas we have been focussing on is developing
problem solving as a skill among our students. In the 21st
Century the ability to work as a team, think out of the box,
communicate well and solve acute problems are skills that are
essential for employers. Remember that in some instances we
are preparing students for jobs that don’t even exist yet and our
students are like to be still in the employment market in the latter
half of the 21st Century. Therefore the development of PLTS
(Personal Learning and Thinking skills) is vital. These are not
things that necessarily warrant being taught as a discreet subject
but should be delivered through existing areas of the curriculum.
Our Specialism has led the way in developing Active Learning
Days where staff are expected to deliver a problem solving
technique/ activity every lesson. Students are then expected to
record how well they have achieved their tasks. We are hoping
to develop these further by expanding into Curriculum
Enrichment Days/ Weeks next year. This of course requires
development of our staff as well as our students and we have
placed huge emphasis on CPD in recent months too.
The types of skills required are illustrated below;
• Independent enquiries
• Creative thinkers
• Reflective thinkers
• Team worker
• Self manager
• Effective participator
page 7
Comin Relief
March 18th was Comic Relief Day and
staff and students at Seaham took part in
a number of fundraising activities. Tombola
stalls, cake, and sweet sales, sponsored silences,
badge making were just the beginning as Year 11
adopted Fancy dress, the rest of the school came
as they pleased, Pirate staff walked the plank into
the swimming pool and a staff vs students Soft Ball
game saw staff thrash students 30-1. Pie the
teacher proved once again a popular activity. The
day was rounded off with a Karaoke session in
the Hall. When total funds were counted staff
and students had raised a fantastic
£1641.69 to the national appeal.
page 8
Diary of a Lakes Visit
11th - 15th April 2011
Monday 11th April
8:15 we all gathered together at the bus park
to wait for the trusty coach. As we gathered
together with our suitcases, us zombie like
kids began to engage with each other, playing
football while waiting for the others to join us.
9:15 all the bags are packed, we are all sitting
in our seats and we began our trip to the
lakes.
On arrival the weather was as expected; rainy!
This being ironic since most of the boys
arrived in shorts and sunglasses. We got our
cases and made our way up to the hostel.
There we were shown to our rooms to settle in
where we quickly discovered that some
people didn’t know how to make their beds.
After the motherly role was complete we
descended the stairs and began our afternoon
activity (orienteering/getting lost in the
surrounding area) Our group wandered and
struggled to find the points, relying on other
groups to help.
After some field sketching, which was our next
task, we went to sit with our new family for our
evening meal, where we learned to appreciate
our fruit juice starter. We then had our onion
filled pizza, left over’s going to the father of the
family. We then had an hour to fill before our
GPS saga, where we were told to wrap up
warm and wear appropriate shoes. As
predicted this fell on short ears. Here was one
boy with plastic bags covering his feet!! As we
began to set off we discovered one catch, our
GPS didn’t work!!! But as any other
geographer would do we went undirected
through the wilderness stumbling across
boggy areas and falling over tree stumps,
relying on the men of the group to assist us
throughout. Believe it or not we survived!
After this close encounter with nature, we
retired to the T.V room with other members of
clan. Here we talked about the day’s events
and getting excited about our first night away
from home. At 10:30 we reluctantly, made our
way to our rooms to be greeted by full blasting
‘satisfaction’ from the room of 20 odd boys
next door. After a while everyone was settled
and most had fallen into a deep slumber.
Tuesday 12th April
Against all odds we managed to wake up five
unhappy teenagers, by whispering ‘quietly’ to
each other. Did we mention it was 6:30am?
Geography and Leisure ‘pleasure’ (Tourism).
Geography had the difficult task of climbing up
mountains, walking through river and carrying
equipment. Leisure on the other hand had the
pleasure of taking the boat across Lake
Derwentwater to Keswick, where they
engaged in activities such as surveys and
coffee shops.
Meanwhile, us geographers had the difficult
task of recording measurement of the river i.e.
bank width, channel width and depth,
involving walking across the rivers aiming not
to fall in. We had a few cuts and bruises when
we eventually made it home. Even after that
induction day the boys still found the energy to
play football. Tea was another family affair
followed by a team quiz. We then had the
decision of what to spend the next few hours
doing. The unanimous decision saw us
escaping into the depths of the night to play
manhunt. We began on low spirits but quickly
found entertainment in it. Unfortunately
nothing lasts forever and we were soon sent
up to bed.
Wednesday 13th April
We soon fell into our new routine. Rise for
breakfast for 8 and be prepared to leave for
9.30. Again we split into our two groups and
set off for the day.
In order for us to measure and assess the
impact of tourism we surveyed a percentage
of the visitors in the town centre and asked
them a bunch of questions in relation to our
theories. We also took part in a vehicle count,
which was to give us an indication of how
much traffic was a result of the tourism. Once
our hard work was done we were allowed to
express the children within and visited Fitz’s
park.
Another treat in store was a visit to the local
puzzle museum, which was also in the town
centre, filled with interesting optical illusions.
As a treat for all of our working efforts we got
the boat back to the hostel instead of walking
the long journey back.
TECHNOLOGY
another lot
COLLEGES
of walking,
which was described as an easy flat route (as
rocky as possible) to Grange, another
neighbouring town/village. Along the way
however we participated in many “!Roberts”
challenges. Most resulting in members of the
group becoming wet and muddy. The walk to
Grange was long. We participated in playing
games in the local lake and then carried on to
see the local tourist attraction Bowder stone,
which gave us the opportunity to climb to the
top via a ladder and as expected a game of
man hunt cropped up. We then began the
walk back when Mr Roberts then realised he
had misplaced his phone on the way. So he
and 4 willing helpers went back to look whilst
we all carried on back home.
When we arrived back at the hostel a bus
pulled up at the entrance to the site with Mr
Roberts and his troopers behind him!
When Leisure arrived back to the hostel most
of the boys had been given permission to
jump in Lake Dermentwater from the jetty,
under the supervision of the adults. What they
didn’t realise was how cold the lake was going
to be! After everyone had, had a hot shower
we all were summoned to the dinning room for
an awards evening of the week. Highlights of
the evening included; a Wise award, most
entertaining award, whiner of the week award
and the winners of the Quiz, which raised a
few eyebrows as one member of that group
was Miss Wise!
Friday 15th April 2011
The day we dreaded finally came. Home time.
We spent our last breakfast together then
made our way upstairs to our rooms and
made sure all our belongings were packed. By
10.30 we found ourselves back on the bus
heading towards Keswick, where we had the
chance to purchase souvenirs and gifts. We
were all treated to a Greggs by Miss Wise
upon arrival. At 12 o’clock we were back on
the bus. Destination home! On the long trip
back many of us entertained ourselves with
music, phones and iPods and of course card
games.
Thursday 14th April
Leisure set off on the minibus for the
aquarium. Leisure’s main objective of the day
was to assess the impact of tourism in
Windermere. Geography also had a similar
task; however we were using the tourists of
Keswick to explore the impact.
Now that we are back however we wish to go
again!!!
P.S. The duvets were really cozy.
By Helen Adamson and Jade Kennedy
At 9:30am we separated into our two groups
Today’s adventures for geography included
page 9
Lets all have some fun SCIENCE !!
This year’s peer supporters have once again been a credit to
themselves and the school. A selection of year 10 students became
peer supporters after taking part in an intensive day’s training with
our Anti-bullying counsellors. During the day they were taught about
body language, listening and questioning techniques, in order to
help support students who may be experiencing bullying problems.
Three New Seaham Students
extracting DNA from their saliva.
Saving our
Planet
Year 8 students from 8A1 helped our
planet live that little bit longer! Our
students participated in a tree
plantation project with the Woodland
Trust. Over 200 trees were planted in
2 hours!
Our peer supporters
are on hand each
lunch-time to listen and
support any pupils who
are in need of help.
They give up their free
time to provide this
excellent service to the
school. The scheme
also helps the peer
supporters themselves
by giving them an
Seaham School is an Anti-bullying school and we provide many
opportunities to support pupils and highlight different types of
bullying. We have regular awareness assemblies and take an active
part in activities such as Anti-bullying weeks. We also have a
nationally recognised Anti-bullying Accreditation which is reviewed
every two years.
Well done to our peer supporters for another successful year. For
any further information please contact Mrs Lowerson-Marshall.
Will you be
here to join
us next year?
A Sandwich
of Science!
A series of lunchtime experiments
took place every day in Science
Week! These ranged from flame
tests, making sherbet and spaghetti
towers to bath bombs and DNA.
20+ students attended each day
and fun was had by all!
“The determination and
ambition of senior leaders
have got the school ‘back
on track’”
OFSTED 2011
page 10
opportunity to give something back to their community and giving
themselves confidence and self esteem.
A Sandwich of Science. Mr White
shows KS3 students methane bubbles.
Science
Parents Evening
Parents were invited into Seaham
School to participate in a series of
practical activities. Parents and
Grandparents loved the activities, so
watch this space for more to come!
Science
Assembly
Years 7 to 11 enjoyed an assembly with
a twist during Science week. Are
scientists really as good as we think?
Students got the opportunity to look at
the Top 10 in demand jobs that don’t
yet exist!
Seaham remembersthe
Holocaust!
“Those who cannot remember the past,
are condemned to repeat it."
Students from Seaham
joined millions of people
around the world in
remembering the 6 million
Jews and other victims of the
Holocaust. Students from the
school attended an event at
Durham Cathedral marking
Holocaust Memorial Day on
January 27th.
Seaham
Students in
the Dock!
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
On Saturday March 5th 2011 13 Seaham students attended South
Shields magistrates court as part of a Citizenship competition.
The Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition aims to introduce
the legal system to young people in an innovative and exciting
way, giving them the opportunity to gain hands on experience.
Now in its 17th successful year, the competition involves young
people throughout England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; every
year over 4,500 young people and 800 magistrates and other
legal professionals are involved in the competition. Students take
on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court staff and
prepare the prosecution and defense of specially written criminal
cases. Teams compete against each other in a live format at
Magistrates' Courts with their performances judged by Magistrates
and other legal professionals.
Holocaust Survivor Rudi Oppenheimer shared his experiences
with students outlining how he and his family were sent to
Bergen-Belsen in 1943. Rudi, his brother and sister survived
but the rest of his family were murdered. The liberation of
Through active learning the competition provides a fun, exciting and
Bergen-Belsen was in part by soldiers of the Durham Light
innovative way of exploring the provisions for citizenship at Key Stage
Infantry. Since then Mr Oppenheimer has helped make
3, by offering young people the opportunity to:
people aware of the horrors of the Holocaust.
• Gain an understanding of the legal rights and responsibilities
The teacher in charge of the visit Lesley Dexter said
and the role and workings of the criminal justice system
that;
• Develop skills of research, discussion, public speaking, analysis,
“HARROWING memories of the Holocaust will mean
communication and teamwork
man’s evil will never be forgotten. Holocaust
• Broaden the horizons and raise the aspirations of those students
Memorial Day is a chance to reflect on one of the
who may feel careers in Law are above them
darkest periods in recent history as some year 9
students remember the atrocities of one of its
Seaham students competed against others from local school and WON! They
darkest periods.
now go onto the next stages of the competition.
And this year’s commemoration saw a special
visitor bringing the horrors of the Holocaust to life
for schoolchildren across Durham. Pupils listened
to guest speaker Rudi Oppenheimer at Durham
Cathedral as he told of his most harrowing
memories having survived the atrocities. The
youngsters heard Rudi’s experiences during the
Second World War, including how he was sent to
the concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen when he was just 12.”
The visit proved to be a valuable experience judging
by the response from students
Over 95% of criminal cases, more than one million every year are dealt with by
magistrates, yet many people know very little about their vital role. The
Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition aims to introduce the legal system to
young people in an innovative and exciting way, giving them the opportunity to gain
hands on experience.
Students took on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court staff and
prepare the prosecution and defense of specially written criminal cases. Teams
competed against each other in a live format at Magistrates' Courts with their
performances judged by Magistrates and other legal professionals. Both the
prosecution and defence fought hard and
we emerged victorious. Next stop will be
Newcastle Magistrates court in May where
we will take part in the regional heats.
“I didn’t realise how bad life was for Jews in the war.
You could tell by his facial expressions he was
scarred for life” Anon
“It was good to hear stories about the Holocaust that
have never been told before as when the holocaust
survivors are gone. Their stories and experiences might
be and lost and
forgotten” Peter
Kinmond
Adam and Bradley Dean and
Dylan Vardy
Darren Chan Legal Advisor
Rudi at Durham Cathedral
with Seaham students.
page 11
Rebecca lays down the law.doc
Making headways into further education.doc
page 12
CURRICULUM INFORMATION
Introduction of Pathways
From September the
school has decided to
place all students from
Year’s 7 to 11 in
Pathways rather than
bands.
The objective behind this is to personalise the
curriculum as much as possible to meet the needs of
our students and to offer every child the best possible
opportunities to maximise their life chances.
In all Pathways there is increased provision for English
and Maths as developing literacy and numeracy skills
is the primary responsibility of schools. In response to
the Government White Paper of 2010, we have had to
increase provision in the Humanities subjects and
Modern Foreign Languages. It is important that we
offer as many students as possible the opportunity to
work towards achieving the new English
Baccalaureate, which is being introduced as new
measure of achievement.
The Baccalaureate subjects are;
• English
• Maths
• Science
• History or Geography
• French or German
Therefore students in Pathway A will focus specifically
on working towards achieving this form Year 7
onwards. Pathway B students will also follow this
route but at a reduced rate of lessons. This will permit
movement between Pathways should students
progress require it.
In Year’s 7-10 there will be 3 Pathways, offering varied
provision in terms of curriculum whilst enabling all
students access to a core curriculum that will develop
their literacy and numeracy skills.
We have endeavoured to devise an appropriate
curriculum for all allowing everyone the chance to
succeed and achieve. Students have been allocated
to a Pathway following a review by our Key Stage
Progress Leaders and the Heads of English and
Maths. This review took into account, FFT D targets,
prior attainment in assessments, current performance
and recommendations from staff.
Regular reviews will take place during the academic
year to ensure students are in the correct pathway.
At these points movement between pathways will be
permissible if required.
Data Ri
ch
The schools data systems have been
improved massively so that all staff have a
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
very accurate picture of where students
are at the moment and where they need
to be. When students arrive at Seaham School of Technology they are
allocated targets which were worked out from their KS2 grades. These
allow students to know what grades they need to achieve and staff are
assisting students to accomplish these challenging targets in many ways. In
the past when students have reached their targets they would be expected
to continue to achieve as far beyond that target as they could, but we are
now in the process of renegotiating the target at the end of each year to
reflect the efforts and achievements made by the student. Targets will never
go down but may go up in the subjects where a student is achieving well.
We have consulted with every child to see what style of learning they prefer:
• Visual which means they learn best by sight;
• Auditory which means they learn best by hearing;
• Kinaesthetic which means they learn best by doing things
practically with their own hands.
All staff have this information on an easy to read sheet and are using it to
prepare lesson plans which suit all students’ needs.
This has helped to group within classrooms so that students are working
with similar abilities and aptitudes and their learning experiences are now
tailored to their needs.
The school has gone from strength to strength because of the industrious
work from both teachers and students. The fact that they have been able
to track their progress more easily has added to this significant boost in
performance. Students are increasingly aware of their targets, have taken
more ownership of their grades and are discussing these regularly with their
form tutors and their subject teachers so that they can discover how to
improve to the next level.
Raising Achievement
As you know our journey to raise standards at Seaham has accelerated
considerably in the last two academic years. In 2010 our GCSE figure stood
at 75% 5A*-C and a fantastic 54% of students left Seaham with 5A*-C
including English and Maths.
5A*-C(incE/M)
5A*-C
5A*-G
Actual 2009
28%
54%
95%
Actual 2010
54%
75%
99%
National 2010
54%
75%
94%
This figure was down to the hard work of all involved students, staff and the
support of parents. This figure puts us in the top 15% improved schools in
the country. We have strived to create an ethos focussed on achievement
throughout the school and this is clearly evident. The results so far this year
look set to surpass last year’s. Early entry results in English and Maths show
that 54% of students have already achieved a C or above in English and 55%
have already achieved the same in Maths. The combined figure is currently
46%.
Well done to all involved!!
Any concerns about allocation to Pathways should be
directed first to the Key Stage Progress Leaders; Mr
McCracken– Key Stage 3, Mr Roberts- Key Stage 4
page 13
Classroom X!!!
We have recently had a new room built in school as part of our
continued development and relationship with Creative
Partnerships. Dubbed 'Room X' by pupils during its
development stage, the room is now open.
This project was conceived out of the ongoing need to
transform our teaching and learning styles. We asked
ourselves, how different kinds of space make us feel and
behave which led to a speculation about how different kinds of
space might encourage pupils to learn in new ways. We
decided to use the staffroom to create three temporary
learning spaces in order to experiment with new learning styles
and to explore whether there were ways in which the existing
school building could be used more effectively. We receive
£15,000 of funding from Creative Partnerships to transform an
area of the school.
Initially the room was set up as a Crime Scene
Investigation
The first phase of the room has it made up like an art gallery
crime scene. Students had to dress as forensic scientists to
solve a crime. Science have used it extensively to investigate
different substances and samples.
The room has proved such a success that students from local
primary schools and secondary schools such as Durham
Johnson and Gilesgate have travelled to make use of it.
Currently the room is set up as 3 Spaces –
3 x 3 Weeks
Each space will be available for use for three weeks during
which time a number of classes will be taught therein. The
spaces will be used by staff on the research team and are also
available for teaching to all teachers
within the school.
Accelerated Reader
Since October we have been running classes using Accelerated Reader software, students are tested to find out their reading age
and book level, they then read books at an appropriate level and take quizzes about the books earning points and hitting targets along
the way, reports are produced weekly about pupils progress and quarterly pupils are tested to ascertain whether
reading ages have improved. Accelerated Reader is used in many schools and has been very successful
we have made good progress in a short space of time.
21 Year 7 students have improved their reading age by more than 10 months since beginning
Accelerated Reader in October 2010. Of those 4 have improved their reading age by more
than 2 years and 1 by and incredible 3 years and 3 months.
Literacy is a major issue nationally but just to share some statistics that are
specific to our school and highlight the importance of encouraging your
children to read please take note of the following information.
82 year 7 students have a reading age of less than 10 years old.
18 year 7 students have a reading age of less than 8 years
44 further students have a reading age of between 10 and 10
years 11 months.
A reading age of ten years is the reading age that is
accepted as the level needed to access the curriculum.
Since October 8 pupils have improved their reading
age from below 10 years to
over 10 years this is in
addition to the above pupils
“Guidance for further education,
who have made significant
training or employment is
increases.
Reading is vital to your child’s success
please support us and encourage them
to read as often as possible. Our library
resource centre is open every day and is
very well used. It has numerous books
that students can use and borrow.
page 14
appropriate and students speak of
being well informed about their
future options”
OFSTED 2011
Fairtrade
T Shirt
Marks and Spencers in conjunction
with First News ran a Fair trade
competition to design a T Shirt in December
2010. Miss Dexter Head of Re and PSE
encouraged students to enter the competition.
The competition was aimed at 7-15 year olds
and over 4000 entries were submitted, which
proved to be the best response ever to a First
News competition. 10 were shortlisted and
Terri Falconer from Year 10 was identified
as a runner up with the following design,
which is a fabulous achievement;
“T
New Staff
Four new teaching staff have joined
us in 2011.
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES
Geoff Lumsdon - Deputy Headteacher
Geoff has joined us in a newly created post as Curriculum Deputy Headteacher. His main focus is to
develop the curriculum for students at Seaham. He is a qualified History teacher and has joined us from
High Tunstall College of Science in Hartlepool where he was Assistant Headteacher. Geoff also qualified as
an AST and has a long track record of excellent GCSE results. His aim at Seaham is to develop a
curriculum, which challenges, stimulates and improves the life chances of all students attending the school.
Geoff Lumsdon
Alan Blackman - Head of Art
Alan has joined us as Head of Art after several years at Redcar Community College. He will make a
fantastic contribution to the development of the school and has offered a positive insight into his first
experiences of working at Seaham. “From the very first lesson I taught at Seaham School of Technology I
knew I had absolutely made the right decision to take up the post as the new Head of Art. The
welcoming and enthusiastic nature of the students was like a breath of fresh air. From the range of the
questions the students asked as they entered the classroom were “had I had a good holiday?” and
“How are you?” I was immediately put at ease. The students were immediately engaged in the lesson
eager to learn, enthusiastic and willing to experiment and take on new ideas.
Alan Blackman
city
ol's capa
The scho
ined
for susta
od”
ent is go
m
e
v
ro
p
im
2011
OFSTED
From that lesson onwards I have felt valued and welcome within the department and in the school as a
whole. This is very much down to the support of the staff and students as they have all been very
approachable and supportive which is appreciated. I am joining an excellent team within the Art
department, it is a pleasure to work with such enthusiastic practitioners of their subject.
During my time at Redcar I was delighted to double the amount of students taking an Art course at Key
stage 4 and more than doubled the pass rate at GCSE reaching regularly 95-100% A*-C grades. One of
the key elements of this success was when I introduced specialist GCSE courses such as Photography,
Glassmaking, Sculpture, Textiles, Digital Design, B-tec, Creative and Media Diploma which had a real
impact upon attainment.
I am very keen to set up a whole school photographic Calendar competition similar to the one I ran in my
previous school. Students submitted photographic entries each month and the winning images are
collated and then professionally published and sold in the community and in school. The calendar has
won local and national awards and I would hope to replicate these achievements here at Seaham.
I feel that it is important to engage students by visiting galleries and working with artists for both key
stages, visiting national galleries and developing art work for community projects. Since starting at
Seaham I have already been able to engage in Community projects. Already in the pipe line are: Seaham
train station, NSK Bearings (local industry), The Queen’s Portrait Competition, International cyberspace
gallery and a project to be exhibited at the Byron Centre focusing on “The Pride of Seaham”.
I am enthusiastic and committed to build upon the strengths of the already strong department and
develop an innovative, calm, creative and empowering working environment that encourages
independent learning and pupil success”
Catherine Newton – RE teacher
Catherine
Newton
Catherine Newton joined us in January as an RE/ PSE teacher and has had an instant impact. Her
lessons and approach are regarded positively by staff and students. Her impact in changing perceptions
of RE is already evident after a short time.
Leaving us this year are the following teaching staff;
• Miss L Butler - leaving to take up post as an English teacher at Washington School
• Mr N Drayang - leaving to take up a promoted post at Valley Gardens Middle School
• Miss S Dulling - leaving to take up a promoted post at Tudhoe Grange
We wish them well in their future careers and thank them for all their hard work and contribution to raising standards at Seaham.
page 15
Blast Off
Year 11 BasketBall
Five, four, three, two, one…. We have lift off! A
primary project has proved to be a massive hit
with the feeder primary schools of Seaham
School of Technology. Year 5 pupils have been
involved in learning Science through a four
week mini project run by Mr Harrison. The
project has the pupils learning to build rockets
and investigating planning and carrying out
moon crater experiments in the first two
sessions at their primary school. The pupils
have then gone onto visit Seaham School of
Technology to learn how to separate moon
samples using Bunsen burners and building
space landers to safely land their egg
astronauts.
The Year 11 Boys Basketball team entered the All England National Championships.
Representing East Durham we travelled to Bedlington in Northumberland to
compete against Bedlington High School on Friday 4th March 2011.
The project aims to involve year 5 pupils in
learning about forces, space, planning
investigations, particles and separating
techniques using fun based activities.
However, the star of the show has been
Draco, our resident bearded dragon in the
Science department. You can watch Draco
cam on the school website for a 24hr live feed.
Tall Ship
comes to
Seaham
The team took to the court with enthusiasm and played to a high level of skill.
Bedlington were a very strong team and the game was very close until the third
quarter when Seaham began to take control and edge away from the home side.
Seaham finished the stronger and won this very difficult game 91-61.
Every team member played a fantastic game and Josh Gaut top scored with 39
points. Josh Martin-Ainsley scored a well deserved 19 points and Lewis Wilson 15
points.
In the next round Seaham took on Heaton Manor School, who play at a National
League level and contains 5 National players in their squad. Despite this Seaham
took the game to them played some excellent basketball, matching Heaton basket
for basket for much of the game. An exciting game, played at a frantic pace saw
Heaton emerge as victors beating Seaham by 65-44 but they had to work hard for
every point.
Josh Gaut again was top scorer with 16 points.
The team should be very proud of their achievement as they were a credit to the
school, Seaham and themselves. They received great praise from officials and the
opposition. Well done to all the squad.
Michael Stuart
Connor Hobkirk
On July 4th 2011 the Tall Ship “James Cook” will sail into Seaham
Harbour as part of an initiative with the school to give Year 9
students the chance to experience life on an ocean going Tall Ship.
Students have to apply for the opportunity to take part in a week
long adventure, which will see them learn the mechanics of sailing
and go out to sea to experience life at sea.
The ship is run by Ocean Youth Trust North and is available for hire
by groups. Time on the James Cook can provide the opportunity to;
- develop teamwork and mutual trust
- make new friends and create lasting bonds
- gain awareness of the environment
- develop a sense of equality and fairness
- spend time in other people company; cook together,
Josh Martin-Ainsley
Josh Gaut
eat together, communicate as a team
- take responsibility for their own actions and decisions
- understand the different needs and backgrounds of others
- gain a range of sea, sailing and survival skills.
Headteacher Mr Shield has arranged the
opportunity and is particularly delighted
at the chance to bring a Tall Ship into
Seaham harbour. The ship will be
available to visitors at some point during
the week but is expected to arrive in
Seaham on Sunday 3rd July. It is hoped
that this will become an annual
opportunity for students at Seaham.
Seaham School of Technology Burnhall Drive Seaham SR7 0EN
page 3
Liam Kennedy
Dale Shaw
TECHNOLOGY
COLLEGES