BLOG WEEK ENDING 14TH JUNE
Year 7 travelled to Wildwood Conservation Centre in Kent with the Science Department as part of their study of conservation and ecology. Wildwood is a leading British animal conservation charity with pioneering projects that include ‘Blean Bison’ an ambitious scheme to promote stronger habitats by restoring natural processes, in this case, by the introduction of Bison, which addresses the current environmental crisis and prompts greater animal and plant diversity. In conjunction with this work Wildwood manage a series of breeding and reintroduction programmes such as pine martens and red squirrels. Students were able to explore and discuss pro-active animal conservation with experienced naturalists and conservationists as well as take part in a forensics activity. Student were challenged to solve a murder mystery .. the death of a rabbit (no actual rabbits were harmed in the making of this activity!) students had to use collected evidence to discover the identity of the killer animal. Student investigators compared footprints from known animals to the ones at the scene. They also compared animal poo (surprisingly popular!) to that found and the crime scene as well as look at other information like preferred prey of certain animals and their bite marks. A very inspiring and enjoyable day of discovery! As part of their visit students were challenged to take photographs of the animals they met, and we will be sharing our WGSB Wildlife Photographer finalists in a later blog. A preview of some of the photos taken can be seen below!
Science Club. Mr Owen’s science club members staged a special CSI style forensic investigation to identify the perpetrator of a murder!! Students were given access to as number of evidence samples taken from the ‘crime scene’ to analyse using forensic techniques. Using chromatography, microscopy fibre comparison, and finger printing students were able to evaluate the evidence to correctly identify the ‘murderer’! Thank you to Science Technician, Mr Stimson who set up the challenge and supported students during the investigation.
Our Year 8 students and MFL Department are currently hosting an exchange student, Martin from Madrid who will be with us for three weeks. Martin has already settled into WGSB life thanks to the welcoming nature of our students who have befriended Martin and support him in getting around school, spending time socialising during breaks and settling into lessons. Pictured below, Martin (on right of photos) working with Harrison as they prepare fajitas and his completed work from an Art lesson!
Exchange student Martin has been contributing to class discussions and lessons as well as practising his English and helping our students with their Spanish speaking skills. During Miss Fabert’s Year 8 Spanish lesson, Martin led a vocabulary activity, coaching the class in the correct pronunciation of key vocabulary!
Year 7 Food and Nutrition students have been working independently, following a recipe for fajitas. Using chicken or vegan protein alternatives which they first browned before adding their prepared vegetables to make delicious garlic and coriander fajitas. Apologies, I very much doubt you got to sample this recipe as it proved very popular!
WG6 students all have access to our Electives Programme which provides life-skills and ‘soft skills’ employers and universities look for whilst also allowing students to explore new interests. To read more about our Programme of Elective societies and groups please click here. There really is something for everyone, with groups ranging from university cooking to finance qualifications to community service! Other groups include …
Our Mandarin Group study for a HSK Level 1 in Mandarin as well as explore Chinese culture and traditions. Our Year 12 students have made perfume pouches for the Chinese dragon boat festival. Filled with herbs, the perfume pouches are a good luck charm which are said to warn off bad spirits and promote good luck! As you can see, they did a brilliant job .. and really enjoyed getting a taste of a Chinese tradition.
Our WG6 Art Society electives group are currently working on a mask project. Students experimented with different materials and creative themes to make theatrical masks.
The WG6 Forensics and Criminal Investigation students completed blood-typing tests on their own blood in preparation of their mock crime scene evidence collection and analysis. With parental consent students used lancets to collect blood samples from their fingertips which was then added to anti serums to reveal what blood type they were. A positive result shows agglutination (blood cells grouping together).
WG6 Forensics and Criminal Investigation students completed their mock crime scene assessment where they acted as a SOCO (scene of crime officer) documenting, preserving and collecting evidence from a murder scene. They had to work in groups to ensure that they followed the forensic guidelines maintaining the chain of custody so that evidence can be used to prosecute the suspects in court. In a few weeks time they will analyse the evidence, identify the lead suspect and write their expert witness report to present in court.
As part of our Careers programme Year 12 students visited the UCAS Discovery Event at the University of East London. UCAS Discovery provides an opportunity to explore all future pathway options under one roof. Students were able to meet organisations who offer traditional degrees, apprenticeships, and employment opportunities. The event enabled our students to meet lots of different unis in one place and a chance to speak to Uni and apprenticeship representatives, course leaders and admissions staff as well as job recruiters.
WG6 Year 12 Psychology students made brain hemisphere hats to help them visualise where the different parts of the brain sit in their heads. The activity was part of their research and discussion into the function of each lobe of the brain, within the Biopsychology unit.
Thank you to the WG6 A Level Geography students who provided the following account of their recent residential field trip.
Kirsty. “As part of our preparation for the NEA (non-examined assessment), we spent four enriching days in Brighton, gathering both physical and human data. The coastal setting provided a unique opportunity to measure beach heights and evaluate the effectiveness of the coastal defences in place. For my NEA, I chose to focus on human geography, specifically exploring Brighton’s cultural significance. I conducted interviews with members of ethnic minority groups to gain insight into their views on the city. Through these conversations, I became aware of issues related to integration and a lack of community cohesion, but also how the city offers many events to help encourage Brighton to be a cultural melting pot. Our stay in the South Downs allowed me to appreciate the beauty of nature and understand how coastal landforms are shaped. This experience highlighted the natural wonders that can often be overlooked when being surrounded by the city. Our trip taught me many transferable skills, such as how to ethically conduct an interview, which comes in handy for if I ever need to do it again.”
Jarvis. “On the Monday before half term, all the Year 12 A Level students set off for our trip to Brighton. Although we were stuck in traffic on the way there, we finally arrived at Seaford beach before moving on to Newhaven beach. At these locations we measured the size of the beaches, the difference in the size of sediment (pebbles) and looked at how human intervention affects the beach environment. Following this, on the Tuesday, we went to Brighton where we looked at contrasting areas of wealth and how wealth is perceived through the built environment, quality of buildings and the environmental quality. Following this we visited some cool and quirky locations which help identify Brighton. The next day, we visited either location based upon our individual coursework, the human geography students visited Brighton whereas the physical geography students visited the two beaches in which all students collected personalised data to match their coursework proposal. Finally, on the last day, we went for a thorough hike (which some people weren’t too pleased with!) which overlooked an amazing beach as well as a meandering river inbetween fields of cattle. As a whole, the trip gave us an amazing opportunity to experience geography in real-life as opposed to looking at it through a screen; this helped to deepen our understanding and knowledge but also gave us an opportunity to question why things happen and what causes geographical processes to occur whilst actually witnessing them – such as longshore drift!! Although we did a lot of work throughout the week, we were able to have periods of down time at the youth hostel. It was around 20 minutes from the two beaches and around 35-40 minutes from Brighton & Hove. We enjoyed a few games of uno, dinner in the evenings, a kick-about when we had the chance and ultimately some moments of relaxation following a very busy few days.
Our next Community Afternoon Tea will be 15th July – save the date! Please email in ([email protected]) or phone (01322 223090) to secure a place – it is first come, first served. We can’t wait for the next one and to see you there!
PTA Update: We have had such a fantastic year so far with fundraising events and all money raised is given back to the school for various projects.
A new project which we have been asked to support is to look to replace the gym equipment and to completely re vamp the room with a modern and updated look. We have recently agreed to fund the initiative for a free book to be provided to each Year 7 student when they join in September as well as an extra full set of all of the books for the school library. The school would not be able to do such projects without your support and we would like to thank everyone who does assist with our fundraising activities.
Matched funding plea: We mentioned in our last blog about matched giving and asked if anyone could support our funding for the PTA. We had an offer from a parent who supported this with £1000 donated from his company – Inter Steel https://www.intersteels.com. This is such a generous offer and one that we and the school are incredibly thankful for. If you or anyone you know can offer any matched funding please do get in touch with the PTA.
Summer Fair: 13th July 11am – 2pm. We will be holding our annual summer fair with barbecue, stalls, entertainment, and games. We also hope to have the assault course that was such a success last year. If you know anyone that would like to have a stall at the event please ask them to get in touch with us. We are also asking for extra help on the day especially for the assault course, if you or anyone would be able to assist the PE department for this fantastic event for the children please do drop us an email on [email protected].
Looking for a new career opportunity? It is our firm belief that a motivated, supported and empowered staff are at the heart of our students’ achievements. Endeavour MAT’s staff development programme offers our staff opportunities for career progression across our Trust schools for the next generation of exceptional teachers, support staff and leaders. All our schools take pride in being warm, friendly and supportive workplaces. You can be assured, regardless of your role, you will be working with people who enjoy their work, are proud to be here and who will want to welcome you to the team. To view our current vacancies, please click here. Current Vacancies – Endeavour MAT (endeavour-mat.co.uk)
Forthcoming Dates;
Futures Week and Careers Week begins (Years 7 – 12) -17 June
First XI Cricket – 18 June, 5pm @ Southfleet Cricket Club
Carnegie Awards Ceremony (for Year 7 & 8 Carnegie Shadowing Club members) – 20 June
Year 11 Trip to Thorpe Park – 21 June
WG6 Induction Day – 24 June
Sports Week activities for all Year groups (Sports Day on the Friday) – 24 to 28 June
Summer Arts Festival – 27 June, 5-7.30pm
WG6 Prom – 28 June
Year 6 transition evening – 3 July
Year 12 Parents’ Evening (at WGSB) – 4 Jul
Year 6 Transition Day – 5 July
STEAM Week – 8 to 11 July
PTA Summer Fair – Saturday 13 July
Summer Community Afternoon Tea (see above poster) – 15 July
Year 7-9 Written Reports home – 15 July
Year 12 work experience – 15 – 19 July
End of Term 6 – 19 July at 12 noon
Best wishes,
Stuart Harrington
Head Teacher
