ASPIRE Newsletter Spring 2015

TUPTON HALL SCHOOL | ASPIRE • LEARN • ACHIEVE 01

Tupton Hall SchoolAspire • Learn • Achieve

ASPIRETUPTON HALL SCHOOL’SNEWSLETTER

SPRING 2015

WELCOMEWe hope you enjoy reading of the wonderful achievements of our students. The year to date has been very busy with many highlights. It is important to pause and reflect on the academic progress of our students and celebrate their personal achievements.

As a school we continue to work together to enhance the lives of our children while maintaining a safe and secure environment in which to learn. Every school should strive to be better, and we are no different. Improvements at the school were noted by Ofsted inspectors in early March. We expect to see the full impact of changes at the school shortly and be graded as ‘Good’ across the board when we are visited again in the next two years.

Whilst school inspection measures quite a narrow range of performance indicators, you will recognise that we do a great deal more than just preparing students for examinations. In this edition you will read about the outstanding range of extra-curricular activities that are on offer and the remarkable talents of our students.

We cannot possibly showcase them all; however you will see on our website and the school’s Facebook and Twitter pages a constant stream of superbly uplifting stories of student achievements and events that make Tupton Hall School unique. To provide you with more regular updates on school news and events, ASPIRE magazine is soon to become an e-newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Please ensure we hold the correct email address for you by emailing [email protected]

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and thank you for your ongoing support.

Best Wishes

Andrew J KnowlesHeadteacher

@Headteacher2009


THE CLASS OF 2014

Smiles and certificates were the order of the night as we welcomed back the Class of 2014 at our annual GCSE and A Level prizegiving evenings.

Hundreds of Tupton Hall School alumni - many who are now at university, college or studying in our own Sixth Form - returned to be reunited with friends, families and staff.

Certificates were handed out in praise and recognition of the students’ exam results. A number of special prizes were also presented to students who had gone the extra mile in certain subjects and extra-curricular achievements.

Miss Cooper, Head of Year 11, told students: “It was wonderful to see so many smiles on results day and to share in the celebrations as many of you found out that all of your hard work, effort and determination had finally paid off. I could not be prouder of all that you have achieved in your time at Tupton Hall.”

At the Sixth Form Prizegiving evening Mr Knowles said: “We hope this eveningwill remind you of a positive experience of the Sixth Form, including the friends that you made, and mark your academicachievements and personal development.”• See more photos from each event at

www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk/galleries

04 ASPIRE NEWSLETTER • SPRING 2015

More than 500 people came along to our Careers Fair to meet employers, training providers, colleges, universities, voluntary organisations and support services. Students were inspired by the range of careers represented at each of the market-style stalls. They even got the chance to hear from several of our former students - now in careers like marketing, horticulture and fitness - about how they reached their dream job.

Budding young makers explored the world of engineering and manufacturing at a week-long manufacturing festival right here on their doorstep. Made in Chesterfield promoted careers and skills opportunities by linking schools with real businesses. It was organised by the town’s inward investment campaign, Destination Chesterfield.

Students jumped aboard the Mantra lorry, a travelling showcase by the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). On board the aspiring young engineers got hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies. These included a fully operational Mori Seiki mill turn machine, video screens with customisable content and a 3D virtual reality centre where students could dismantle a virtual jet engine.

A tour of the foundry floor at United Cast Bar Ltd also galvanised students’ interest. They got to watch as molten iron was transformed into cast iron products. Year 13 Product Design students went to a breakfast meeting with industry leaders from around the region. They talked and got advice on their own design work and also got insight into real life design projects like the HS2 rail link.

Our students also tested their coding skills in a Twitter vs Drone competition hosted by Magnifica Technologies Ltd and Kingfield Electronics. But the big winners were Y12s Danny Stevens, William Thirkell and Luke Oldfield who came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a product design competition judged by MSE Hiller.

Head of Design & Technology Mr Fullwood said: “Overall this week was extremely successful in giving our students a valuable insight into design and production. It was particularly noteworthy as all the participating companies and businesses were local to the area and on the doorstep of our students.”

MADE IN CHESTERFIELD

@TuptonCareers


TUPTON LIVE

Packed to capacity, an audience of onlookers in the Richard Smith Hall were treated to a spectacle in the form of some of Tupton’s brightest young musical talent.

The event? Tupton Live - a concert organised by the school’s BTEC Music Group as part of their course, in aid of Chesterfield’s Deaf and Hearing Support Group.

The charity provides support and assistance for many partially and profoundly deaf people in North Derbyshire. And Tupton Live raised a magnificent £732 towards the cause.

Tupton Live was a fantastic event that really showed the creative side of students at Tupton Hall. The bravery of the performers was incredible and it really showed just how confident some people can be.

Katharine gave an amazing performance; she has only played the Mandolin since Christmas and is already giving brilliant performances to large crowds. It’s a great achievement and her singing voice was top notch too.

Lewis is another performer who stood out on the night. The song he played, titled ‘Lighthouse’, was beautiful.

The BTEC music group should be proud of themselves for putting on such a wonderful and successful event.

SEE THE PERFORMANCES ON THE TUPTON HALL

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

By student journalists Jared Musson, Matt Atkins, Nick Avis & Bradley Roberts

@TuptonCareers


Who imagined that Chesterfield FC star Gboly Ariyibi eats a full English breakfast before every match? That’s what he told the Year 8 girls’ football team who were visited by three Chesterfield FC players.

The visit was a reward for the team’s achievements representing Chesterfield FC in the Kinder+Sport Football League Trust Girls Cup. The Tupton Hall team became area champions after a series of impressive performances which almost clinched them a day out at Wembley.

CFC winger Gboly Ariyibi, forward Emmanuel Dieseruvwe and midfielder

Michael Onovwigun held a short Q&A session. The girls asked a range of questions including: ‘Which player has the worst personal hygiene?’ Needless to say, they chose not to comment!

“It’s great for the girls to have won the trophy against good opposition. It shows the hard work they have put in,” said the players afterwards.

“Women’s football is growing. Teams are doing a lot better in international competitions. That’s really important for getting more publicity for women’s football and inspiring kids to play.”

Sixth Former Dayna Randall recently played football alongside a whole host of England internationals, including Leanne Sanderson (pictured).

Dayna, a striker for Derby County Ladies FC, was called up for pre-season friendlies VS Arsenal and Liverpool ladies’ teams. The 18-year-old said:

“They were so friendly - great role models for the game.”

In August, Dayna jets off to Tennessee in the United States to embark on a four year football scholarship.Dayna said: “My aim is to play for England and, for women, America is the place to do it because they have a professional league.”

GIRLS TEAM MEET CFC PLAYERSBy student journalist Matt Atkins

BOOTING UP WITH THE BEST

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DAYNA ON OUR WEBSITE


Believe it or not, Year 8 martial arts fan Alex Wing beat his Dad at his very first Taekwon-do competition. Well, sort of...

Alex, 13, and his dad Gareth, competed at the Heart of England Unified ITF English Championships at Alfreton Leisure Centre. Alex won gold in his sparring match and bronze in his patterns test. Meanwhile, dad Gareth - who competed in the men’s category - won silver in patterns and bronze in sparring.

Alex said: “I totally went for it and tried my very best. I felt like the luckiest person in the world to win gold!”

Year 11 student Imogen Clark swam at the Scottish National Short Course Swimming Championships in Edinburgh.

Swimming against GB swimmers she managed to break two British junior records and several county records for Derbyshire.

Imogen swims with Derby’s Derventio Excel Swim Squad, which provides Derbyshire’s best swimmers with elite training and a competition environment.

TAEKWON-DO!

MORE RECORDS FOR SWIMMER IMOGEN

JOSH REPRESENTS GB AT WORLD RIFLE COMPETITION

The honour of bearing the Union Jack was given to Year 12 stu-dent Josh Hough when he represented Great Britain at a shoot-ing competition in Spain. The competition was organised by the MLAIC - the world governing body for muzzle loading shooting. Josh competes in black powder target rifle shooting, a sport dating back to the mid 19th Century when the British army used it to keep soldiers’ skills up. Josh shot in both the junior and adult competitions. His score in the adult category put him in 64th place... in the world! “It was the first time I represented my country and it felt great - especially holding the flag,” said Josh.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DAYNA ON OUR WEBSITE


TIME TO BAKE

Whatever the occasion or the cause, our students are always prepared to get ready, steady and BAKE!

LET’S GET COOKING

The first big bakes of the school year were for Remembrance Day andChildren In Need. The Let’s Get Baking club met after school to create hundreds of pretty poppy cakes and Pudsey shaped biscuits to sell.

A sea of bright red cakes and cookies were on sale during the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Week. The Year 7 bakers even donned silly red ties and ‘taches to persuade students and staff to buy their wares.

Then it was Comic Relief, and what better way to raise funds than with a table laden with tasty baked treats? Once again Tupton’s best bakers rustled up batches of buns - complete with red noses - to sell to the school community.

Hundreds of pounds have already been raised for charity by our brilliant bakers, and the year isn’t over yet. Well done to everyone involved and keep up the yummy good work!

SEE MORE PHOTOS AT

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/TUPTONHALLSCHOOL

CHARITY ROUND-UP


Almost £2,000 was raised during a week of fundraising activities for local charity Fairplay. The Sixth Form Committee organised activities including a concert, staff v students football match, bake sale, baby photos quiz and a movie themed fancy dress day.

FANCY DRESS FUNFAIRPLAY

COMIC RELIEFSuits, PJs, onesies and fancy dress helped raise a whopping £1,612 for Comic Relief. Adam Hardy, Chair of the Sixth Form Committee, said: “It was a great example of Tupton students working together to raise an impressive amount of money for a good cause.”

@THSCommittee


YouTube sensations Jack Howard and Dean Dobbs came to talk to Media Studies students about working in the media. The duo spoke about their YouTube career which has seen their channel attract more than 400,000 subscribers. Their recent work includes doing stand-up comedy shows at Reading and Leeds Festival and doing their new online BBC show ‘Official Chart Bite’.Jack and Dean, who both have media degrees, also discussed current media issues and how the media is changing. This topic is linked to an A2 Media Studies unit called Media in the Online Age, analysing the Internet’s impact on TV and music.

Forget selfies, emoticons and text speak, teenagers at Tupton Hall School have resurrected an ancient form of communication... Latin.

Some Sixth Formers are attending Latin Club as part of the school’s programme of enrichment activities, and several will sit a GCSE in the subject this summer.

English teacher Alison Carter set up the group to give more able students a slightly different academic challenge.

Said Ms Carter: “The students are really enjoying Latin. They are sparky and able to use their knowledge of English and other languages to fill in gaps or guess new words.”

LEARNING AN ANCIENT LANGUAGE

YOUTUBE SENSATIONS! By student journalist Nick Avis


By student journalist Nick Avis

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALTupton Hall School was transformed into East High School for three nights of High School Musical. The show featured a talented and committed cast of students from right across the school - there was even a guest appearance by English teacher Mr Pateman. Head of Drama Miss Calladine said: “I am so proud of all the students who took part

in High School Musical, they worked so hard, showing real determination and commitment while they also revised for exams and completed coursework. Every night the atmosphere was electric, but tinged with a little sadness as we lose two of our ‘old timers’ Scott and Rosy this year, who have done shows since they were in Year 8.”

DERBYSHIRE CHAMPS

Congratulations to our Sixth Form Young Enterprise team who have been named Derbyshire winners. Their business Tantrum Baby Products - which sells ‘nappy cakes’ - impressed the judges at the area final at the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield.The team also won another award for Best Presentation on the night. Now the students go on to represent Tupton Hall at the Regional Final in Matlock.Keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook and www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk to follow their progress at the next stage. You can still buy Tantrum’s baby bundles by contacting the team on Twitter @TantrumBP.

@TantrumBP


X FACTOR STARS

SCIENCE WEEKExcitement exploded through the science corridor as students got hands-on with a spectrum of experiments and demos. Demo Day coincided with British Science Week and aimed to prove that science is cool! Staff supervised various weird and wacky experiments while students watched in wonder. Flaming methane, static electricity, chemical reactions and pH properties were all tested. Students also had fun dissecting creepy crawlies and internal organs from larger animals. A giant bubble tunnel and bottle rocket also raised a few smiles and shrieks.

On Saturday 21st March 2015 our excited BBC School News Reporters met Joe McElderry, the winner of X Factor 2009, to interview him. Joe, 23, was on his tour, ‘Evolution’, and was performing at the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield that night.

Read our students’ full interview with Joe and watch their video at www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk


BOOKISH GOOD FUN...

IN THELIBRARYAs always, our library has been one of the busiest areas of the school. Not a week goes by without a competition, event or reading challenge happening! Every Year 7 student has received a free book as part of the Bookbuzz scheme, which aims to help schools encourage reading for pleasure.

On World Book Day the library was transformed into Hogwarts for a Potter Party. Students wore capes and wands while dining on wizardly snacks, drinking ‘butterbeer’ and playing Potter-themed games and quizzes.

The transformation of the library didn’t stop there... A new cosy cushion corner invites students to curl up with a good book in front of the fire. We also have a magical book arch greeting visitors to the library, representing a gateway to endless adventures to be had through reading.

SCIENCE WEEK

@libraryatTHS


PARENTAL FEEDBACK

At our recent Progress Review Days we asked parents for their views on Tupton Hall School, using the same survey that Ofsted uses. We are really grateful to all the parents who filled in the survey and are delighted with the responses. Below is a snapshot of the responses we received. You can see the full set of answers at www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk/Parents-Survey-Results


GOVERNORS’UPDATE

The last year has been another very busy one for staff and governors. We knew that we were due a visit from Ofsted, and they arrived in March. We can draw many positives from their report, which is available on the school website. We would like to thank all of the students and staff who presented themselves impeccably over the two day inspection period. In September 2014 we streamlined and restructured the governing body in line with new Government guidelines. We completed a skills audit to ensure that we have the required skillset to enable us to work more effectively to support the improvements of the school on its journey to becoming outstanding.

Although the GCSE results were lower than we would have liked, we are very proud of the A Level results which were the best in the history of the school. It was a real pleasure to be able to present certificates and prizes at both of the presentation evenings.The school’s performance of High School Musical was outstanding, and shows the depth of talent we have in school. Many of our students also compete in sporting events at all levels and we commend them on their excellent achievements.

Our drive to raise standards and achievements continues. And to support

this we have introduced a new Teacher Appraisal Policy. We continue to recruit staff of the highest calibre and feel that we now have a strong teaching staff which will enable our students to achieve their full potential.

Overall, attendance has improved and it is pleasing to see that far fewer days have been lost to unauthorised absence due to family holidays. We thank you for your support in this.

Please contact the governing body if you have any feedback.

Contact details, along with governor profiles, are on the school website at: www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk/Governors

Kind Regards,

The Governing Body

We currently have a vacancy for a parent to join the governing

body. Information on the election process will be on the school

website shortly. Paper copies of the guidance can also be collected from

main school reception.

WHY NOT JOIN US?

Tupton Hall SchoolA SPECIALIST SPORTS COLLEGE WITH ICT

Station New RoadOld TuptonChesterfieldDerbyshireS42 6LG

T: 01246 863 127F: 01246 250 068E: [email protected]

W: www.tuptonhall.derbyshire.sch.uk

Aspire • Learn • Achieve

@TuptonHalls

facebook.com/TuptonHallSchool

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ASPIRE Newsletter Spring 2015

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