ths newsletter - taverham high school

JULY 2019

THS NEWSLETTER

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Whitwell & reepham station

2

Elf training 3

Norfolk skills & care4ers festival

4

Psychologists visit London zoo

5

Duke of Edinburgh 6

Titan 7

PERSONAL

DEVELOPMENT

8

YEAR 6 TRANSITION DAY

9

6TH FORM 10

SOMME BATTLEFIELDS 11

HAUTBOIS 12

SCHOOLS PRIDE WEEK 13

TERM DATES 2019/2020

14

ACADEMY AWARDS EVENING

15

Dear Parents/Carers

As we draw to the end of another school year it was wonderful to see so many students celebrating at last night’s Academy Awards Ceremony. We have so many excellent students who work hard and try their very best and it

was extremely hard to narrow down the nominees who were invited.

We have been so proud of our students this year. They have contributed to the neighbourhood plan, supported the Whitwell refurbishment, led at the primary sports events, continued to raise thousands of pounds for charity and entertained at the local care home. They throw themselves wholeheartedly into the life of the school and will benefit socially and

emotionally from being an active part of our community.

I would like to wish the GCSE and A level students good luck with their exam results. They have been so very mature in their attitude and deserve

to achieve good results in the summer.

Thank you for all your support with the changes that we will be making regarding mobile phones and helping us to ensure your children are safe and happy. We have been overwhelmed by your support in this matter and

will be consistent with our follow up to ensure everyone benefits.

I would like to thank the staff who will be leaving Taverham in the summer. Mr Brunton, Mr Skilton, Mr Welsh, Mrs Gaul, Mrs Findlay, Mrs Hartley, Mrs

Tomlinson, Mr Philp and Mrs Gerrard.

Many of these staff have worked here for a considerable period and will be remembered as part of our school history. We thank them for their

contribution to the school.

I would like also to take this opportunity to thank the governors of the school who play such a valuable role in the strategic direction of the school. The staff at Taverham both support staff and teaching staff have a very challenging job at times but are determined to ensure students get the best

provision possible.

I hope that you have an enjoyable summer break with the family and look

forward to welcoming you back with our new intake on 4th September 2019.

THS NEWSLETTER PAGE 2

Students Raise Money at Youth Club

We decided to raise this money at our local youth club because we wanted to give back to the community after everything they have given to us. But this wouldn’t have been possible without all the staff and all of the other members of the youth club, this especially wouldn’t have happened without Kerry (who was extremely proud of us for donating the money)

who runs the youth club on a Wednesday night.

All together we raised £236. £100 of the money we raised was given to the Social F.I.E.L.D youth club which provides support to young people with Asperger’s syndrome. We also handed over another cheque for £100

to Taverham Day Care at Sandy Lane. The money raised was match-funded by a local company P Nunn

Installations this meant that we could hand over £200 not £100.

Ciah-Lilly Rudkin & Bethany Grant

Whitwell & Reepham Station

We are in the final stages of restoring and refurbishing The Mercedes Benz Unimog at Whitwell station. Once white and rusty looking it is now a shiny royal blue,

orange and silver.

The 8 boys involved with the project have learnt skills that they may not even realise. They are able use a wide variety of tools in a safe and functional way. Electrics and how they work are now a reality, rewiring and connecting up lights a task that does not need

constant supervision.

For us the skills the boys have learnt are far more than practical things. Well behaved, working hard, showing a pride in what they have achieved, listening, communicating, and supporting others in the group. It is

a real shame some of their teachers are unable to see these boys working on this project.

As a team we would like to thank Richard Bailey at Whitwell Station, he is a great Tutor who has taken time with the boys and really considered their learning environment using it to gain the best out of this

project for the students.

Year 8 Students Taster Sessions at Whitwell & Reepham Station

After the success this year running a pilot project at Whitwell refurbishing the Unimog (a Mercedes Benz vehicle with a crane on the back which runs on the road or rails) Our Year 8 students have been looking at possibilities for projects

next year.

Richard Bailey from the station gave them a guided tour of the venue, allowed them to open up the hydraulic crane on the back of the Unimog and even gave them instructions on how a mini

digger operates.

We look forward to working with Richard once again from

September with a new group of students.


Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics Cathedral and Mosque Trip

On the 17June, Miss Phillips and Miss Reding led a school trip to Norwich Cathedral and the Rose Lane Islamic centre with 18

students from the Year 10 Philosophy and Ethics group.

As part of the GCSE, students look at beliefs and teachings as

well as religious practices in both Christianity and Islam.

Students were able to look around the mosque and attend a Q&A session with the Imam Rajab Ali which they really enjoyed. After this, they had a guided tour around the cathedral and were

able to ask questions with the education guide.

The trip was hugely beneficial for identifying key elements of worship and understanding core beliefs from the perspective of a

religious follower.

Year 9 ELF Training

We recently started our Year 9 ELF training. We learnt many things, starting with safeguarding and child protection. During this we were taught all of the formal procedures we must go through if we have a concern about a student’s safety. We now all feel more aware of what to do in these situations and feel that we can help protect other students. Next we had a visit from Nelson’s Journey, a local charity that deals with childhood bereavement. They taught us about the many resources that an affected person could use and how they would feel. This was a very useful lesson as it taught us how to deal with upset pupils. One activity that we took part in was talking about what makes us happy, where we learnt about staying positive and good mental health. The next visit was from ChatHealth, which is another Norfolk based

charity where 11-19 year olds can text in their worries to qualified nurses anonymously. We discovered that we will all become ChatHealth ambassadors and will be encouraging others to use the service. The final charity that came in was the Matthew Project, which deals with substance abuse and addictions. We were taught about different types of drugs, and how addiction can affect people’s lives. It was very informative and we all learnt something new. As well as all of this, we also did some anti-bullying exercises, learnt about CEOP, and got to know each other with some fun games. Overall, our

ELF training was a very useful experience that we all will use not just as ELFs, but also in later life.

Year 8 Students Visit Redwings at Aylsham.

There were 3 visits which incorporated a tour of the site, all about the charity, the jobs available and the

rescue work that Redwings is involved with. The group thoroughly enjoyed the visits and were very

interested in some of the rescue horses that they were able

catch up with further down their path to recovery. This type of

visit allows students to consider jobs and future training within

industries that they may not normally consider. Redwing’s

employ 250 members of staff around the country.


Year 10 Students visit The Norfolk Skills & Careers Festival 2019

The Norfolk Careers and Skills festival is a unique opportunity for our students to get inspired for their future. Year 10 students visited the festival to discover the huge range of career opportunities that are available within the County. There was a wide range of guest speakers and workshops to give career guidance, with over 70 exhibitors from across a wide range of industries, this was not an event to be missed and students had an enjoyable morning

speaking to experts in fields from the military to finance. The festival is a joint effort by a number of Norfolk bodies, including Norfolk County Council, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, Easton and Otley College, City College Norwich, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, Norwich School and Beacon East. Students commented that some of the conversations they had had with exhibitors had been very useful as well as it being really helpful for those students who were unsure of their future pathway. Mrs A Warwick Progression Coordinator

Year 13 Psychology Revision Conference

Year 13 Psychologists put their knowledge (and understanding!) to the test at Dereham Sixth Form

College on 28th March. The day was led by Jean Marc

Lawton, AQA examiner and textbook author for the

current Psychology specification. The students

participated in four sessions focussing on Research

Methods, Memory, Biopsychology and Attachment,

along with over 100 students from other schools around

the county. Each session involved recapping knowledge

and then having a go at questions to practice their exam

skills. Verbal question and answer also helped to keep

everyone on their toes and THS students dealt with this

admirably! This was a highly informative day that

should mean our students are even more prepared for

their A-Level exams in the summer. Well done team!


Year 12 Psychologists London Zoo Visit – can animal observations teach us anything about humans?

Year 12 Psychologists ventured down to London Zoo to support their psychological studies by learning

about animal intelligence and observations in the zoo. Students participated in two zoo-led education

sessions, reinforcing their understanding of learning theories and approaches to behaviour as well as

supplementing their research methods unit. The latter session involved use of zoo-specific technology to

observe squirrel monkey behaviours through time sampling. All the students also conducted another

observation on an animal of their choice using event sampling. This should pose some excellent

discussion and data analysis when back in school. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day complemented with

excellent weather which meant the animals were more animated than in previous years. Thank you to all

students and staff involved for making it such a great day out.

Miss Reding


Over the Summer Term G14 has been transformed into the THS Recycling Centre.

We are continuing the success of Year 7’s crisp packet collections so that any crisp packets brought to G14 will get recycled.

From this we are also trialling some other recycling projects with Terracycle – Stationary Recycling; sending used pens, pencils, highlighters etc to be recycled along with the AcuvueContact Lens Packaging scheme – daily disposable lenses create a lot of rubbish, in partnership with some of Norwich’s opticians we are collecting and recycling these single use lense packets.

Other ventures such as Smalls for All; collecting bra’s for use in third world countries and Give and Make Up; donating unused / gently used make up and toiletries for displaced victims of domestic abuse are in place as well as our Mascara Wand recycling – old mascaras are sent off to Animal Sanctuaries so the brushes can be cleaned and used to brush animal fur to get rid of lice and ticks.

Duke of Edinburgh

On 13th May 2019 Mr Tutte and two ex Taverham High students, Miss Ellen Flower and Miss Hannah Stone, attended Buckingham Palace for an award ceremony in the presence of HRH The Earl of Wessex, HRH The Countess of Wessex and HRH The Duke of Gloucester. Ellen and Hannah were presented with their Gold Award certificates which represented the completion of a journey started some 5 years ago when they embarked on their Bronze award. Both girls have worked extremely hard to achieve these awards and should be congratulated on their success. It should also be noted that they are the first THS students ever to achieve this standard. In addition Mr Tutte was also presented with a long service certificate recognising his 24 years service to the DofE award scheme at Taverham

High .

Year 7s have been creating and exhibiting their mini shoe box bedrooms in German.

Ms Havunen

THS NEWSLETTER PAGE 13 PAGE 7

TITAN (Travel Independence Training Across the Nation)

On 30th April of this year some of the students currently

taking part in TITAN, Norfolk County Council’s road safety

program, successfully passed their (Red Book) pedestrian

test.The TITAN Program is designed to give students the

opportunity and entitlement to be proficient in independent

travel skills as well

as raise their levels

of confidence and

self esteem. The

students, pictured

with members of

NCC TITAN team,

were praised for

their road safety skills and also their polite attitude and awareness

of other pedestrians. Some older students, who had previously

passed the test, helped organize the event.

On the 19th July four Year 11 students were tested on, and passed, their public transport skills test

(TITAN Green Book).

Trevyn’s Garden

There is always plenty do in the garden and this term students have been busy; planting, watering, potting, digging, hoeing and pond clearing. Caddisfly larvae and smooth newts are some of the less familiar wildlife discovered by students during pond dipping sessions. As part of the garden project, students learn gardening techniques, plant care and nurture, as well as practicing communication, problem solving and team work. Students recently worked with Miss Snelling, our lead science technician, making elderflower cordial, from harvesting to tasting. Proceeds from the sale of the cordial, and other garden produce, are fed

back into the garden fund.

Normandy Trip

Students in year 8 & 10 have just returned from a trip to Normandy in France. We spent four days there which meant we had a lot of fun activities to do. On the first day we went to one of the most visited places in France called Honfleur, it has lots of different shops. The following day we went to Bayeux Market and we had plenty of time to explore the amazing market. Next was a trip to Mont St Michel which was a great experience for us. The next day we tried snails at a snail farm. Later we made some very tasty bread at a ‘boulangerie’. After that we went to the beach. Finally on their last day we went to chocolate factory and the chocolates were

delicious. Overall it was a great trip and we had lots of fun.

Ben’s favourite day was Thursday because we ate snails and made bread. Also, the beach. Neve’s

favourite parts were the snails, Mont Saint Michel and the beach.

By Ben Zappala & Neve Stotton


Personal Development at Taverham High 2019

As part of their PD programme, Year 7 students have had a thought provoking talk about road safety in their PD lessons from Richard Wiseman from NCC’s Casualty Reduction team. In lessons, they are

currently looking at Human Rights and Communities.

They also watched a drama production from Norwich City College aimed at raising awareness of road safety. The message was serious but humorous, simple and effective and staff and students felt that it

was a worthwhile and important part of our PD programme

Year 8 have been studying relationships and the changes which take place in adolescence. Most recently, they have been learning about types of government, especially how our own democratic system

works.

Year 9 have been looking at how ordinary people are affected by conflict around the world. Many students delivered well researched and informed presentations to their class about conflict areas around

the world.

Some of our Year 10 and Year 11 students have had an informative lesson presented by a team from the Matthew Project relating to Drugs and Alcohol. All KS4 students, throughout the year, have followed a series of lessons which provide students with the information to make healthy lifestyle choices both now and in the future. They l also watched a presentation from a member of the Fire

Service aimed at reducing casualties amongst young drivers.

Mrs S Barker

Classical Civilisation

I have been very impressed with the interest shown by the Year 8 students; they have enjoyed the mythology topics, baked wonderful cakes and made elaborate mazes. Thank you to parents and families who supported

the students creativity throughout the year.

Year 10 have also worked incredibly hard throughout the year and most of them also enjoyed a day out at the

British Museum.

They have become accustomed to Friday ‘Quizzettes’ as a way of re-enforcing some of the technical terms and no longer dread the Friday test! They claim to have enjoyed all the Greek and Roman topics but I think the myths about Herakles and Theseus have

been the most popular.

Year 12 have completed their first year in the Sixth form and have been learning about Ancient Greek Drama, Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid. Their interest and enthusiasm was fuelled further at the

British Museum and they are certainly becoming experts on the Greek and Roman artefacts.

Mrs S Barker


Year 6 Transition Day

On the 5th July we welcomed our new Year 7 students to Taverham High School for the day. Each

student got an opportunity to meet members of staff, Elfs and the rest of the school community.

There were tours of the school, Maths, English and Science lessons as well as an assembly at the end of

lunch time. This gave all students a small sample of a day at high school.

Moving from Junior school to High School is a big transition and everyone I spoke to including students

and staff praised the experience and found it beneficial.

We wish our new year 7 students a happy summer holiday and we look forward to seeing you in

September ready to start Year 7.

Ms Philpot

Head of Year 7

Game Star Competition

I am delighted to announce that two of our year 10 students Oliver Smith and Owen Willcox have both won prizes in the Game Star Competition we took part in earlier this year. Oliver Smith won the prestigious Bronze award for his beautiful Duck dish and Owen won the prestigious Gold award for his

tantalizing pheasant wellington.

Both Oliver and Owen competed with more than 80 students from all over the country, who developed their own game recipe as part of the School Game Changer project. The challenge set by Taste of Game and the Food Teachers Centre was to create a quick and easy game meat recipe with a modern twist. The top 18 will have their recipes published in a booklet which will be available at events and game fairs across the country. The top eight joined a masterclass at Northcote Hotel Lancashire and three Judges Commendations invited to cook lunch in the Michelin starred kitchen with Chef Lisa Goodwin- Allen for

their parents and teachers.

Judging took place at Northcote with the top three Judges Commendations being chosen by Chef Lisa

Goodwin–Allen, Chef Bruno and Chef Emma Lawson. All top 18 dishes were cooked and tasted.

Both students have worked very hard to create these two beautiful recipes and dishes, they have been dedicated and passionate throughout the whole process, giving up their time to partake in this

competition.

Comments from the organisers and judgers below show how well both students have performed and the

amazing outcomes they have achieved:

Louise Davies Founder Food Teachers Centre:

“Judging this year’s Game Stars competition for secondary school students has been a real pleasure. The winners submitted creative and delicious recipes with exciting modern twists. They showcased brilliant skills preparing and cooking game, plus making incredible sauces, pastries and accompaniments. Their dishes had the ‘wow’ factor in every respect. Many of these students had not cooked game before the joined the Schools Game Changer programme 18 months ago, so it is very pleasing to see how

quickly their skills have progressed in that short time.”

Annette Woolcock Head of Taste of Game said “the number of entries were really impressive and the standard shows just how successful the game changer project is, the students are now happily cooking

with game which has not happened before and developing fantastic recipe suitable for today’s menus”.

Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen said “We were thrilled to see so many entries – the standard was very high which made it incredibly difficult to choose winners. Throughout the entries there was clever use of ingredients and the recipes really brought game to the table in an inspiring way. To everyone who didn’t win this time, please try again, it’s been very enjoyable seeing many different ideas submitted. It’s been a

fantastic first year of the competition and hope there will be many more to come.”

THS NEWSLETTER PAGE 13 PAGE 10

PE News

The year 7s won the District Athletics competition Monday 8th July. The schools competing were Thorpe,

Sprowston, OVA, Hellesdon and Taverham.

The boys came 2nd overall and the girls came 1st. Total

points added together, Taverham won overall.

Sixth Form News On 4th July Sixth Form students visited Nottingham University to get information about applying to

University and how to write personal statements and applications. A big thank you to all Year 10 and 11 who attended our Year 10 taster day on 3rd July. Also, Year 11 Induction Days on 26th-27th June. The feedback was excellent and we look forward to welcoming those students to the Sixth Form in September 2019/2020.

This term we have had a team of Sixth Form volunteers engage in some community work in Taverham. 20 students volunteered some of their valuable time to help redecorate Eastlands Care Home as it was starting to look a little unloved. They worked with determination and enthusiasm, under the supervision of Maintenance Manager John, and their efforts were clearly noticeable. We hope this is the start of a regular collaborative project with the care home and our Sixth Form as part of our students’ enrichment programme. Well done to everyone

Exam Results Days

Year 13 A level: Thursday 15th August 2019 collect in the Atrium 08:00 – 10:30 Year 11 GCSE: Thursday 22nd August 2019 collect in the Atrium 09:00 – 10:30

Results can be collected from school on the above dates. If you are unable to come in then you can nominate somebody to collect on your behalf, but they must bring a letter signed by yourself giving authority. If nobody can collect your results, please supply the school with a stamped addressed envelope and these will be posted out to you.


Year 9 History Department visit to the Somme Battlefields

In the early hours of Friday June 21st, 30 students and 3 staff left Taverham High School for our annual day visit to the First World War battlefields. The journey down and through the Eurotunnel and onwards through the French countryside was leading us to the battlefields of the Somme area. It was here on the 1st July 1916 that over 20,000 young British and Commonwealth soldiers lost their lives and a further

40,000 were wounded.

We arrived at our first stop, the ‘Sunken lane’ which had been part of the British trench system on that fateful day. We stood where young soldiers from the Royal Lancashire Fusiliers had stood over a hundred years before and tried to get our bearings. With the help of our guide we were able to observe the landscape around us and begin to get an idea of what it might have been like as part of a wider battlefield and war zone. We then walked the battlefield, across to Hawthorn Ridge, a huge crater left by one of the mines that the British exploded on the morning of that first day of the battle and on towards the Canadian memorial to the Newfoundland regiment, near Beaumont Hamel. It was named after the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which had provided one battalion of 800 men to serve with the British and Commonwealth Armies. Its tragic part in the action of 1st July 1916 is remembered through this memorial park. The site is also a memorial to all the Newfoundlanders who fought in the First World War, most particularly those who have no known grave. The park also remembers the men of the many other regiments and countries, from France, Britain, India and Germany who fought and died on this part of the Somme

battleground.

From Newfoundland Park we drove to the Ulster Tower, a memorial to Irish and Northern Irish soldiers who fought in the battle and from there we went to Delville Wood, a memorial to South African and British troops who were fighting in this area. It was nicknamed ‘Devil’s Wood’ by the soldiers but in fact many of the trees had been completely destroyed by artillery. Today the wood has regrown and is a beautiful place full of birdsong and the rustling of trees. It was here that we chose to hold our own memorial ceremony, laying a wreath at the base of the one tree that survived the war and thinking of all those affected by war.Our visit finished with us stopping at the Thiepval Memorial, the largest memorial on the Somme recording the names of over 70,000 of the missing from the battles in that area. The students spent time taking in the enormity of the numbers involved and helped by the guide not only had a detailed idea of how the battle of the Somme had been fought but also got an excellent understanding of its impact on ordinary men and

women.

Thanks to Mr Williams and Mrs Glasel and the wonderful year 9 students who came with us and experienced such

a memorable visit.

Mrs Richardson – visit leader.

THS NEWSLETTER

Hautbois

Between 16th to 18th July I had the pleasure of taking 130 year nine student to Hautbois Outdoor Activity centre for three days of fun filled activities. We arrived amidst glorious sunshine and all of the students unpacked and settled into their tents. The weather was good for most of our visit with

occasional torrential downpours on the last day to add to the atmosphere!

The fun began with a variety of activities from raft building to kayaking, from obstacle course to abseiling. Students had to cook for staff and organise their time to ensure that they did not miss out on

any of the fun activities.

All students showed a complete willingness to take part, to support each other and try new experiences, from jumping into the river to jumping from a great height. Students commented that they had a fantastic time and that they saw teachers in a new light. Hautbois staff also said that our students were a delight to be with and that they worked very well as teams to encourage everyone in the activities. Some supervisors said that our students had built the best rafts and bridges that they

had ever seen.

Night times were fun with music provided by Mr Mitchell; there was a bonfire for both evenings and all students who wanted to were able to toast marshmallows. Many thanks to Mrs Hanson for amazing food – Spaghetti bolognaise for 150 is quite a feat, not to mention Eggy Bread! All of the staff who went were incredibly proud of all of the students who attended, special thanks go to Mr Mitchell, Mrs Killington, Ms Philpot, Miss Curran, Mrs Gerrard, Miss Greenway, Mr Brunton, Mr Patterson, Mr

Cartwright, Miss Reding, Mrs Hanson, Mr Wilgress, Mr Derrick, Miss Buffini, and Miss Booty.

My personal favourite moment was at 8am watching 130 students sat around chatting to each other

without any technological devices and seeing them laugh and communicate without looking at a

screen.


Schools Pride Week

Over the last few months a small group of students at Taverham High School have been working with a

local charity, Norfolk LGBT+ Project, to create a safe space, provide advice, peer-support and infor-

mation to our students regardless of sexuality and/or gender identity. This group have named them-

selves Flamingoes. They had the opportunity in April to go to the Theatre to see Sir Ian McKellens one

man show at the Norwich Playhouse. It was a fantastic show! In July, Taverham High School was one

of over 20 Norfolk schools to take part in the first ‘Schools Pride Week’. During the week, we had a

rainbow themed sports day, the Sixth Formers held a bake sale and there were LGBT+ Assemblies,

quizzes and workshops on how to be a good ally. The school community really embraced the week

and it was a respectful and inclusive week for all.

Mrs N Davies

THS NEWSLETTER

THS Academy Awards Evening

Congratulations to Daisy Dalrymple, Kieran Mitchell, James Burrows, Charlotte Cole,

Natalie Rose & Caitlin Turner who won awards.

Dates for your diary 04/09/2019 new term begins 12/09/2019 Year 10 information evening 16/09/2019 school photographs—Years 7 & 9 25/09/2019 year 11 next steps evening 26/09/2019 year 7 settling in evening 26/09/2019 year 12 welcome evening 02/10/2019 parents’ forum 5:30 -6:30pm 09/10/2019 year 6 open evening 12/10/2019 family morning 16/10/2019 year 13 parents’ evening 07/11/2019 year 12 open evening 13/11/2019 parents’ forum 5:30 -6:30pm 19/11/2019 year 9 parents’ evening 22/11/2019 non uniform day 26/11/2019 year 9 option evening 12/12/2019 Years 6 & 7 tea party & carols

Beech Avenue Taverham Norwich NR8 6HP

Phone: 01603 860505

E-mail: [email protected]

www.taverhamhigh.norfolk.sch.uk

Taverham High School

Lost Property

Please ensure that all items brought into school are named. This means that any lost bags, PE clothing, coats, hoodies, footwear, uniform and pencil cases etc can be quickly

and easily returned to their rightful owner.

First Aid

If your child holds a signed authority to administer form with the school giving permission for them to have any of the following medications – ibuprofen, paracetamol, antihistamine and/or inhalers, then could you kindly ensure that you provide them for us to hold for their use. All medications must be named and will be kept

securely in the locked medical cupboard .

Should you wish us to hold medication for your child, then please call into reception to complete

a form and hand in the medication.

Mrs Wallace

ths newsletter - taverham high school

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