Academy News Vol 1 April 2011

Freebrough Flyer

Freebrough Academy opened in

September 2010 in the heart of East Cleveland.The lead academy

sponsor is Teesside University and Co sponsors are Prior Pursglove College and Redcar and Cleveland Council. Our leadeducational partners are Redcar and Cleveland College. Together the academy and its sponsors are working to create an outstanding educational provision for young people in East Cleveland. In partnership with parents and other stakeholders we will use the shared resources, expertise and passion we have to make a real difference to the aspirations and opportunities for young people and

their community. We are working very closely with our cluster of Primary Schools to support the fantastic work they do with their children and ensure that we build upon the skills, knowledge and abilities of students when they transfer to Freebrough. We are delighted to be able to work in partnership with Coastal View to share some of the exciting things that are happening at Freebrough. With our primary feeder schools we want to give you an opportunity every term to share in the success of our students and give you the opportunity to be amazed at the talents, energy, creativity andabilities they have. We are very proud of them and hope you will be too.Linda HalbertChief Executive/PrincipalFreebrough Academy

Freebrough Academy was offi cially opened on 29 March 2011 by Sandy

Anderson OBE. Sandy is the Chairman of Teesside University’s Board of Governors and was awarded an OBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours for his services to the North East community.The Academy, which has just completed its second term, is sponsored by Teesside

University, Prior Pursglove College and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, with Redcar & Cleveland College as an educational partner. The Mayor of Redcar & Cleveland, Councillor Ray Goddard, welcomed everyone to the offi cial opening ceremony saying: “Building on new and existing partnerships will provide opportunities to

enhance our working relationships with the University and other college and education providers. All this can contribute greatly to the education and development of young people in the East Cleveland area.” He continued by saying: “It will bring fantastic opportunities for students, staff and the community by raising aspirations and improving educational outcomes for our young people.” The Mayor went on to explain that the focus of the Academy and the inclusion of business and enterprise in the curriculum would equip future generations of young people with the skills and knowledge to further develop industries in the area. Professor Graham Henderson CBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University said: “This is a tremendous project and we were delighted and excited to be able to make a contribution. We have a lot of business and enterprise expertise at the University and we hope we can bring that to bear at the Academy and help it to go forward.” He added: “There is a brilliant sense of optimism about the whole project and in Linda Halbert we have a brilliant Head.”

Mrs Halbert, is from Washington, Tyne and Wear and comes to her new role with almost 30 years teaching and management experience. She said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for this community and I am working with some of the most creative, energetic and enthusiastic, young people and staff.” She explained: “ We have developed a curriculum which enables our young people to work in our community and with local primary schools. And in doing this, they are developing skills which they can take into other aspects of their learning.” Sandy Anderson summed up the night by saying: “Tonight is about stoking the fi res here in East Cleveland, which is a confi dent community in its own right and one that our University is pleased to serve. Teaching to me is such a satisfying and important profession, being in a position to change the lives of so many people for the better. “That’s what I see here at Freebrough Academy, under the outstanding leadership of its Principal, Linda Halbert, I have no doubt at all that the future of this Academy is in very good hands.”

Freebrough Principal Linda Halbert and Chairman of Teesside University’s Board of Governors Sandy Anderson OBE, at the offi cial opening of the Academy

Freebrough Academy off to a flying start

Principal Linda Halbert

Guests at the offi cial opening, enjoying the excellent catering facilities provided at Freebrough Academy

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 20112

Teachers make an enormous difference to the lives of students – we can all

remember the impact that signifi cant teachers have had on our lives. Without excellent teaching, excellent learning cannot happen. At Freebrough Academy, we have a number of initiatives which are central to the development of teaching and learning. Continuing Professional Development sessions enable staff to become exposed to a number of exciting and innovative initiatives which they can try out in their classrooms. At Freebrough Academy, staff training sessions happen on a regular basis, with sessions this year including a focus on the following areas:- Planning and Preparation;- Thinking Skills- Questioning - Assessment for Learning.Of course, after exposure to these ideas and strategies staff are encouraged to try them out in lessons and to monitor and evaluate the impact that they have on learning. The

impact of such work can then be monitored through the learning walks, work scrutinies and lesson observations that occur in the Academy. The Freebrough Academy Teaching and Learning Group, which is comprised of our good and outstanding teachers, lead on this training and perform their own refl ective research in their own classrooms to see how students can be engaged, inspired and motivated by new and challenging teaching and learning techniques. These strategies are then shared with other staff to help facilitate a culture of refl ection and development in this area. In addition, staff are also exposed to strategies which will, for example, improve their use of ICT, their understanding of how to cater for all students and their understanding of how to improve literacy levels throughout the academy.Since the implementation of these sessions, the proportion of lessons that have been observed as being good or better has increased by a considerable degree.

Our students are central to any teaching intervention or curriculum initiative we put in place. What we do is ultimately for them and caring for young people is ultimately at the core of what we do. Since September we have had new and exciting additions to the teaching and learning focus at Freebrough Academy. An example of which would be Vision2Learn, a web based structure designed to help students access work remotely and to gain GCSE equivalent qualifi cations in a short period of time. We have had great success with wider key skills and we have made links with Teesside University and Warwick University to

provide expertise for our gifted and talented students. Students are engaged in activities within and beyond the school which will develop their business and enterprise skills, their engineering skills, and their ability to think creatively, logically and with care and thought for others.Our teachers are soon to be involved in Masters Degree level work with the University of Teesside, which will serve to drive up standards even more on our relentless movement towards becoming an outstanding school.Michael O’Neill – Deputy Principal

Teaching and Learning

Humanutopia is a people fi rst development company who have been

working with the staff and students here at Freebrough Academy since October 2010. With the help of their inspirational team members and humorous, but hard hitting ‘HU R U?’ interventions, humanutopia have been encouraging the students and staff of

the Academy to stop and refl ect on their lives so far and think about their hopes and dreams for the future. These interventions have allowed students to understand the impact their communication has on relationships and how this ultimately allows or restricts their growth as individuals and communities.

Following the HU R U? interventions all students in years 9, 10 and 11 were given the opportunity to join ‘The Heroes Journey’. One hundred and twenty four students embarked on this journey which will see them develop the skills shown on the diagram below. Our team of trainee Heroes have so far attended additional

humanutopia training sessions, worked with younger students within the Academy and gone out to local primary schools to work with key stage 1 and 2 children. Freebrough Academy and humanutopia will continue to work together over the coming months and years to improve the life chances of all our young people.

Students learning the skills of life

Linda Halbert said: “Human Utopia is working closely with us to develop a culture in our Academy which is about success and high aspirations and about young people taking control of what happens to them and to the Academy and the community. “We have up to 124 students who have been trained as Heroes, taking on those leadership responsibilities, working in the Academy and in primary schools and being positive and signifi cant role models everywhere they go.”

Students involved in Vision2Learn

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 2011 3

Students from Freebrough Academy had an exciting change from their normal

timetable recently when they were given a mission to complete in their tutor groups. The students had just less than two days to come up with an exciting and creative idea to represent enterprise in the Academy. Throughout the two days they were taken on a journey which saw them work in small, mixed year group teams to plan, design and develop a mascot and poster to represent enterprise skills. The students developed their own enterprising skills along the way including problem solving, leadership, creativity, decision making and, of course, teamwork. Three entries were produced by each tutor group, which had to be whittled down to just one to go forward for judging. Five entries reached the shortlist which was compiled by the Academy’s Business and Enterprise Team. They were: John the Jelly baby, Zenny the Zeebrough, Determine ‘D’ Turtle, Danny Dinosaur and Enterprise Owl. These teams faced the gruelling task of going in front of a panel of judges to sell their idea. After a long and difficult deliberation period the judges awarded first prize to the students who created Zenny the Zeebrough. This team of students will now see their ideas become reality as their creation is developed to front the Business and Enterprise specialism within the Academy. They will also receive a limo ride around their home towns as a reward for their hard work. Freebrough Academy opened in September 2010 and aims to use its specialist Business and Enterprise status to raise standards of achievement and the quality of learning for all students. Student quotes: “ Enterprise brings the tutor group together and builds the team.”“I would like to do more enterprise activities as they are really fun and entertaining.”“It was a good way to spend two days and our tutor got to know us better.”“I like coming up with new ideas.”“ Fun and something different.”

Freebrough Academy

launches the good ship

Enterprise!

Tata Steel launches ‘real-life’ challenge for

Teesside youngsters

Tata Steel has launched an engineering project for youngsters

in Teesside, challenging them to come up with possible solutions to a real-life issue. Pupils at Freebrough Academy in East Cleveland have been challenged by Tata Steel to improve roll changeover times in the company’s Special Profiles mill. A roll changeover is the process of the mill moving from the production of one steel product to another. The youngsters, aged between 13 and 16, will work in teams to complete the challenge, which aims to promote science and engineering as well as improving the pupil’s financial management, time management and team working skills. The project was launched with an icebreaking session led by Tata Steel employees and will last around ten weeks. Pupils were also given a tour of the Special Profiles site to give them a deeper understanding of what the project involved. Tata Steel employees will be working alongside the pupils to challenge them to come up with realistic ideas. Steve Simms, works manager for the Tata Steel Special Profiles business at Skinningrove, near Saltburn-by-the-Sea, said: “This project is a great example of businesses and schools working together. “We are taking real life issues and asking young people with fresh and innovative ideas to think about possible solutions. “The aim of the challenge is to change the equipment in the rolling mill from one customer’s product to the next in the fastest time possible, while keeping safety and

quality at the forefront of their minds. “The pupils will be introduced to the pressures of a manufacturing environment where every minute of downtime can cost a business hundreds of pounds. “The project is special because the youngsters have the opportunity to find solutions to a real-life issue that we actually experience on plant, rather than a hypothetical problem out of a text book.” Linda Halbert, Principal at Freebrough Academy, said “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students. Business and Enterprise and Engineering are our specialisms and this project gives students the opportunity to develop skills in both. We are delighted that Tata Steel is investing their time, resources and expertise into the education of young people in East Cleveland. It is a unique opportunity to take their learning into a real-life situation. The project is being supported by two very enthusiastic staff, Sarah Walker and Kelly Lowe, who will ensure we continue to build upon the experiences the students have with Tata Steel.” The teams will all compete against each other and the winners will be presented with a prize at the end of the challenge. Tata Steel’s Special Profiles business manufactures special shaped steel products – many of which are tailor-made to individual customer requirements. Three-quarters of its production output is exported, with products being used in a wide range of industries across the globe, from earth moving equipment to shipbuilding.

The recognised need for high quality therapeutic work has grown

substantially over the last few years and the development of the Time 4 You School Counselling Service has been in direct response to that demand. Time 4 You provide professionally qualified, trained and supervised counsellors who support many schools in the Redcar and Cleveland area. Two full time counsellors, Sandra Bell (Director) and Vicky Franks, have been based in Freebrough Academy since February 2010. In addition to providing a valuable service to Freebrough students and staff Sandra and Vicky also work with many of our feeder primary schools. The counselling service is not only used by students; parents and staff can also access support as and when they need it. The counsellors use a range or different strategies to help the individuals they support including: one to one sessions, group work, self esteem and anger management workshops and family mediation. One young person who uses the Time 4 You service at Freebrough Academy says:”counselling has really helped me, and I’m really thankful, it helped me a lot in controlling my temper and what to do if I do lose it”. The parent of a primary school child helped by the service says: “I think this is such a valuable service that is essential for children who need it in primary school, I’m really pleased with the difference in my child, Thank You!!” For more information on the Time 4 You service, please contact:Sandra BellMA, PG, Dip CounsellingManager Time 4 You Counselling ServiceFreebrough AcademyLinden RoadBrottonSaltburn by the seaTS12 2SJ01287 676305

Time 4 You School

Counselling Service

Linda Halbert said: “A fantastic opportunity for us to build upon is our relationship with TATA Steel, who came into the Academy to learn in which ways they could work with us. They are allowing our young people to go into their organisation, to help them develop their skills. It is exciting for them to be out there in the real world.”

A real life challenge for Freebrough Academy

On the 22nd day of March, 2011 a band of enthusiastic students led by

their teacher, Mr Cuthbert, journeyed to Whitby to attend the technology tournament brought about by the efforts of the Whitby and District Rotary Club.

Troops of students from the length and breadth of the area were in attendance to take part in the event. The challenge set by the Rotary Club was to construct a crane

which could lift a cylinder of toxic waste. With many a furrowed brow and chewed pencil end the students of Freebrough worked hard for four hours before their crane was put to the test. Although we did not win the contest this time a good time was had by all and much was learned by our students about the art of mechanism. We shall return next year in the hope of victory!

Technology Tournament

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 20114

Over the last few months, the children at Whitecliffe Primary School have

been working towards the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award. The award is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This teaches us about our Human Rights and the responsibilities which go with them. We are working with five other schools, Handale, St Josephs and Skelton Primary, Kilton Thorpe Special School, and Bowesfield Primary in Stockton. We meet together each term to work on the UNCRC. During these few months, we have been to Bowesfield School, Stainsacre Hall in Whitby and Skelton Primary School. As well as working with these schools, we have been looking at how the rights affect us and how they affect children in other countries. There are 54 articles and they are for all children world wide.

Each of our classes has made a class charter linked to the Articles of the UNCRC. Every child has agreed to follow the charter and respect it. Displays have been put up in school to remind us. Each week, classes take turns to do an assembly about the rights. Children from Whitecliffe Primary School have recently got some funding to have signs put up in the villages of Carlin How and Skinningrove. There will be ten signs in each village in the shape of children, each one holding a sign containing one of the UNCRC articles which we think are most relevant to us. A few of the children have been to Skinningrove LINK UP and Carlin How CHANGE meetings to discuss putting signs around the villages. Each sign will be approximately one metre tall so watch out for them. School CouncilWhitecliffe Primary School

Year 5 report on some of the experiences from London. Just before half term, 45 Year 5 children and 10 staff from Badger Hill and Lockwood Primary schools visited London for two nights. Here are some of the reports written by the children from Badger Hill

Year 5 went to London on Wednesday 16th of February 2011.

It took seven and half hours to get there; eventually we arrived at London with a lot of enthusiasm especially from Mr Wray! First we went to Hampton Court where we allowed some tour head phones to tell us about the display. We all went off in our groups. Mrs Rowe’s group went round last and Erin suddenly dropped her camera in one of the displays, she jumped over for her camera and she set off the burglar alarm in the whole building. We also went to the

jousting gardens which had big trees and an amazing water fountain. Miss Archer’s group and Mrs Farrell’s group had a photo took at the fountain. Finally we had a look around the gift shop. Che said the gift shop was brilliant and there were a lot of things he would have liked to buy although everyone had a chance to buy something. By Grace and Sophie.

The HostelAfter we went to Hampton Court, we got back on the bus and went to where we were staying for the night. The food was tasty and we got chocolate cake as well! Afterwards, we were taken to our dormitories. There were separate chalets in which we went in. The boys went in one and the girls went in another. Some people went in a room on the bottom floor some went on the top floor and there were bunk beds in the rooms. Holly said “It was very comfy and nice but we

couldn’t switch the shower on!” By Georgina

LondonOn Thursday, when we left the Youth Hostel we had to travel into London. Mrs Rowe told us what to look out for. We passed by Newham which is where the Olympics is being held. The next building I saw was the Millennium Dome. Tower Bridge was large and had started to get painted. By Che

The Tower of London. First we went to see Traitors Gate. This is not a normal gate, people who were against the King were brought to the gate by a ship and if the two guard’s axes were facing towards you that means that you were going to find that your head is cut off and if it wasn’t you may survive but still get punished.Some people did not live for very long. Next we went through an archway to the centre where the main part of the tower was, it had lots of small windows made of lots of pieces of glass all costing lots of money so if you broke one you would have to pay lots of money.Thirdly we saw the crown jewels and there was lots of gold and silver. Then we went to the gift shop that was the end . By Ben and Kian

The Boat RideOn Thursday after the Tower of London we went on a massive boat along the river Thames which we had our lunch on. The fascinating tourist attractions we passed were the London Eye, The Globe Theatre, Big Ben and we went under London Bridge. This was about 20 minutes long. Holly’s

opinion was “that it was great and very exciting seeing the tourist attractions in front of my eyes.” Overall it was a great experience and we would to do it again. By Katie

Madame TussaudsOn the Thursday we went to Madame Tussauds. When we got there we had a look around at all the waxworks and had pictures took with them. There was celebrities, actresses, singers, Tudors, sports men and some very bad people. Miss Archer and Mrs Farrell’s group went to see how they were made. There was videos and the people who made them. Then we went into the dungeon. Some people wanted to go into the part where people jumped out at you but unfortunately you had to be over 12 so we went in the part we were allowed, all the people in there were bad people who had been jailed for very bad things. Later we went into a 4D hulk show it was amazing. Megan Green said “I think it was great I loved it all but my favourite part was the 4D show!” Bethany Lowe said “ I liked seeing Lady Gaga the best” overall we thought it was a great experience. By Holly and Harrison

The Wizard of OZWhile we were in London we went to the Palladium Theatre to see The Wizard of Oz. It was a really good production and we would give it five stars. Georgina said “The best bit was the bit when they met the wizard it was an excellent production” and Katie said “It was really loud and cool and I liked the tornado!” Overall we thought it was great and I would see it again.By Erin Year 5

Badger Hill and Lockwood go to London

Working for UNICEF Rights Respecting School Awards

St. Peter’s girl’s football team proudly represented the county in Newcastle

on Saturday 26th March. They had battled their way to the Northern final defeating many tough teams on their way! The competition started with an East Cleveland tournament where the girls

dominated every match, beating Badger Hill, Skelton Primary, Lingdale and Saltburn Primary. During that tournament the team scored an amazing 15 goals. The semi-final saw our girls defeat Handale by a whopping seven goals to 0, followed by the County Final, where St. Peter’s once again defeated Badger Hill. All of these successes meant that the girls had earned their place in the Northern Final.At Newcastle the team played with determination, skill and amazing team work, showing support for their team members even when the going got tough. Unfortunately this is where the girl’s dream of a trip to Wembley ended. The staff at St. Peter’s and parents of the children involved are brimming with pride for what these girls have achieved! Well done girls!

County Champions

Teachers, David Barrett and Tessa Woodford and School Business Manager, Brenda

McCabe are part of the newly formed Triathlon Group for Kilton Thorpe School. The all age special school is currently fundraising for a new school minibus. As part of their fundraising efforts, sponsorship is being sought for all members of the group who will compete in either an individual or team triathlon over the current season. Any local businesses who would like to help please contact Brenda at the school.

Kilton Thorpe Triathlon GroupPrimaryNews

Prior to the amalgamation in 2006, Handale Primary School was two

separate schools; Loftus Junior School and Harry Dack Infants School. Harry Dack Infant School was named after Alderman Harry Dack, who served on the North Yorkshire County Council, and who was a ‘local lad.’ Born in 1876 Harry started in the Union as a boy - his father was an old pioneer and he followed in his footsteps. At 20 years of age he took an active part in the work of the Loftus Mine and at 25 became a Checkweighman. He was first elected a member of the Executive of the Cleveland Mines, and in 1911 was elected Agent. He served for 21 years as President. In June 1954, Harry Dack Infants School was opened by the man himself, who sadly passed away in the following November. Harry Dack was awarded an O.B.E by George V and this is currently in the possession of his grandson Mr Harry Atterton. Mr Atterton was a former employee of the Gazette, and now lives in France. It is Mr Atterton’s desire for the O.B.E and the citation from George V to be presented

to Handale Primary School who are very excited about the occasion.The presentation took place on April 5th 2011 at Handale Primary School on the old ‘Harry Dack’ site. Pupils and staff performed a celebration assembly for Mr Harry Atterton, his brother Robert and some of their cousins too. The assembly focused on the 1950’s when the school was first opened by Harry Dack. Local history groups, parents and grandparents have been extremely helpful in supporting the children in their preparations for the day and the whole event has a wonderful community feel about it. Mrs Helen Blakeley, Headteacher of Handale Primary School, said; “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the children of the school to be part of a living history project and to have the opportunity to work with the local history groups and ancestors of one of the school’s founders. The children and staff have worked really hard to make this an exciting and memorable day.”

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 2011 5

Handale pupils receive O.B.E

PrimaryNews

To celebrate our most recent topic on Loftus Past & Present, an open

afternoon was held. The Mayor of Loftus, Mrs Bell, several councillors and a large number of parents joined the children for an afternoon of art activities. The children from Years 4 & 5 who had spent the term working with artist Hannah Campion from Creative Partnerships, taught their newly acquired art skills to parents and children. Parents also enjoyed a delicious cream tea. At the end of the afternoon a special assembly was held and a time line showing the history of Loftus was completed.

St. Joseph’s Day

St Joseph’s day was celebrated in style at St. Josephs RC Primary School in

Loftus. On March 18th the Year 4 class started the day by leading an assembly for parents and children.During the afternoon a craft fair was held. Every child had been involved in craft making, ranging from photo frames to trinket boxes! A wonderful £438 was raised and this was shared between Cafod and Comic Relief, charities which the school supports every year. Celebrations concluded with a lovely family mass in St Joseph’s Church, Loftus on March 19th.

St Joseph’s RC Primary School

Pupils from St. Peter’s Church of England Primary School,

Brotton, proved to be a triple threat after becoming the Tees Valley Netball Champions. Clinching victory after three tournaments covering 14 matches. It all began on Tuesday afternoon on 8th February, when St. Peter’s Netball Team travelled full of anticipation to the East Cleveland Netball Tournament at Saltburn Learning Campus. We were to play Badger Hill Primary, Lingdale Primary and Saltburn Primary. Despite excellent efforts from the other schools, St. Peter’s sailed to victory in keeping with our school’s patron Saint! Bethany was pleased to say “At Huntcliffe I scored one. We all did well and we had great team work throughout the games”.

They then went on to represent East Cleveland in the next round at Eston Leisure Centre playing other teams from the Cleveland area. We were drawn in a pool with Normanby 1, Westgarth and St. Mary’s. Our team competed well, winning all of their pool matches and securing a place in the semi-finals against Normanby 2. Although Normanby 2 tried their best St. Peter’s were too strong and won the

semi final 10-0, reaching the final against Westgarth Primary, who were runners up in our original pool. Westgarth went on to beat us in the final. Bethany retold “At Eston we came second, Westgarth beat us by a couple of goals. We did well to get this far in the tournament. We all played our part.” Luckily our runner’s up position meant that along with Westgarth we were able to represent Cleveland at the Tees Valley Finals at Teesside High School.

The day of the finals arrived, it was a glorious sunny day and all though we were nervous our excitement and willingness mirrored the weather. Mr. Stinson drove us there and we played team memory games in preparation. Before arriving a final briefing was held with the coaches, Katy and Hisham then we were ready to compete.ten teams had made it this far, we were split into two pools and were to play Darlington Abbey, Lynnfield Primary from Hartlepool, Marton Manor, and William Cassidi Church of England Primary from Stockton. Our opening match was against Marton Manor we were up and running with an

early victory of 4-0. Our next match was against Lynnfield Primary who beat us 2-8. This was a big wake up call, we regrouped and knuckled down, we knew if we wanted to reach the semi-finals we had to win the rest of our pool matches, which we successfully did. We were delighted to reach the semi-finals and pleased to hear that the other school from Cleveland, Westgarth Primary, had also reached the semi’s along with pool winners Lynnfield and Chandlers Ridge. Our joy was temporarily dampened as we learned we were to play Westgarth in the semi finals and they had previously beat us at the Eston Finals, however we decided to not be defeated and give it our all. The teams were evenly matched and it was a very close result. St. Peter’s dug in and won the match 3-2. Westgarth were fantastic opponents. We had done it, we were in the finals! We had to play Lynnfield Primary School who had also beaten us in the pool round earlier. St. Peter’s children showed great determination in a fast paced, fully charged final. At half time we were leading 2 -0. The second half began and Lynnfield scored 3 consecutive goals to take a 2-3 lead, could it all be over? Not until the final whistle! The children gave their all and managed to bring the score back to level pegging and with all the determination and will we scored the winning goal. We had won, we couldn’t believe it, we stood in a stunned silence until Katy our coach came bounding on to the court to congratulate us. Kristian was delighted to say “I scored the winning goal, the whole team did great, Katy has

never had a team get this far.” Lynnfield were a fantastic team and we were able to provide a real nail biting final. Lucy commented that “Rhys was our captain and he was a very good captain.” Bethany was over the moon and enthused “At Teesside High we came first in the finals. We all played brilliant. Our team won Westgarth but it was very close by a few goals. That day was the best day of my life! Rhys was the captain and he worked extremely well as one too. I Scored 10 goals!” Captain Rhys added “ I was so happy we won, I got a piggy back from one of our coaches, Hish, for scoring in the finals. It is fantastic to see such great levels of sport been played across the Tees Valley and a real testament to the dedicated work of Sports Development and the staff of the schools to reach such goals. It is even more pleasing to see so many primary schools flying the flag for East Cleveland, be it St. Peter’s football and netball team, Saltburn’s basketball team or Whitecliffe’s tennis players. Who knows, perhaps we have some future sports stars in the making.

Tees Valley Winners

Redcar & Cleveland Runners Up

East Cleveland Winners

St. Peter’s triumph in Tees Valley netball tournament

The Eco team at St. Peters C.of E. Primary School will be flying the flag

to celebrate recently achieving the ‘Green Flag’ award. To obtain the award the children at the school have been working their socks off on different Eco topics. The children grow their own vegetables and flowers, look after hens and keep a watchful eye on the energy saved by their wind turbine. Mrs Lawson and Mrs Silversides, both teachers and eco co-ordinators at the school, are delighted that the children’s hard work has been recognised. We would also like to say a big thank you for the support given by Mr. John Stinson (Former Headteacher of St. Peter’s) and Mr. Tim Myers (Eco Governor), and of course our hard working Eco team. Mrs Lawson commented that we shall certainly be holding a party to celebrate and hope the children’s learning will be transferred to their home environments. Our Eco children really are our champions.

St. Peter’s Eco Team

Topic Celebration

Year 7 and 8 humanities students recently had the opportunity to develop

their practical fieldwork and investigation skills when they paid a visit to either Durham or Whitby. The students planned their own fieldwork tasks including questionnaires, traffic

counts, pedestrian counts, tax disc surveys, photography and collecting secondary tourist information data. Students were answering overall questions that they had written as part of a group such as ‘How has Durham changed over the past 100 years?’ or ‘Why do people visit Whitby?’ During the course of their visit, our year 7’s and 8’s developed skills in teamwork, co-operation and selecting and using data collection methods. Students were also involved in evaluating the methods used. Whilst in Whitby many students had the opportunity to take some time out to watch the filming of Emmerdale and meet some of the cast. Look out for them in the background of the Whitby scenes to be shown later in the year! Meanwhile, some of the students in Durham were really inspired by Castle Green and the opportunity to continue study at a higher level, especially with the opportunity to

live in a castle! The quality of the learning experience has been fantastic and this is evident in the high level work now being produced in class. Students had a real opportunity to see how places work on many levels and have changed over time and a chance to develop all important learning skills.

Charles Robinson Sykes was born at 14 Child Street, Brotton.

His father, Samuel William Sykes and his uncle, Charles Xavier Sykes were gifted amateur artists who ran a decorating business making wallpaper and friezes. They prospered, and Samuel was able to send Charles to Rutherford Art College. In 1898 Charles won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art at South Kensington in London, where for three years he studied under such tutors as Walter Crane, the book illustrator. The most famous commission of Sykes’ career was the creation of The Spirit of Ecstasy, the world’s most distinctive motor car mascot, which adorns the front of Rolls Royce cars. To celebrate the success of Charles Sykes, who began life here in East Cleveland, local councillors have erected a commemorative plaque at 14 Child Street. Mrs Forteath attended the unveiling of the plaque, accompanied by Tom Tyreman (year 9) and Matthew Osborne (year 8) who were a credit to the Academy. Tom said; “It was really interesting to attend the unveiling of the plaque and to find out about Charles Robinson Sykes. It was great to learn about some really local, important history.” Matthew also commented; “I enjoyed meeting the Councillors and the Mayor and it was really interesting to find out that a local man had had an international impact. It made me realise that people from small villages can go on to do really impressive things.” Mrs Halbert, Principal at Freebrough Academy, said: “We were delighted to discover that Charles Robinson Sykes was born and raised in Brotton. His

achievements are an inspiration to our students.” She went on to say “Engineering is a specialism here at Freebrough Academy, along with Business and Enterprise, and to reflect our pride in the success of Sykes as a local man we will be naming one of our engineering workshops after him. We will also be raising awareness of his achievements through a series of assemblies. “I am confident that in the future many of our students will follow in the footsteps of Charles Robinson Sykes and go on to great things!”

On 21st March a team of four students, accompanied by Mrs

Cryer, took part in the Cleveland Area Maths Challenge, hosted by MacMillan College and organised by the UK National Maths Challenge. The team, Chloe Dolden, Greta Timar, Isaac Myer and Richard Walker had spent many lunch breaks with their teacher, Mr Maphosa, preparing for the event. Along with many other schools from the

area the four students spent an exciting day attempting to solve many different mathematical problems by using and developing their mathematical skills, their powers of deduction and team work. The day ended with a Maths Challenge Relay involving a great deal of running around (maths can be exhausting too!) Although the team did not win, they did have a great day and are eager to attempt the next challenge.

Student Ambassadors

September 2010 saw the birth of the Freebrough Academy Student

Ambassador group. All students in years 7, 8 and 9 were given the opportunity to join the group who will represent the Academy at promotional events and be responsible for leading on the communication of the positive image of the Academy with students, staff, local, national and international partners.

This term, the Ambassadors have been focusing on making Freebrough Academy a greener place to be. They have conducted an environmental review, put together an action plan and attended events such as ‘The Big Tidy Up’ and year 6 Open Evening. Next term the Ambassadors will be working closely with Miss Jackson and Mr Forteath to further develop our Vivo Miles rewards scheme.

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 20116

Humanities Students venture out!

Humanities students collecting data in Whitby

Celebrating local success

UK National Maths Challenge

Student AmbassadorsMrs Halbert with Head Boy and Head Girl at the opening of the Academy

Linda Halbert said: “We are proud of our head boys and head girls who make a significant contribution to the Academy in terms of their leadership and they are fantastic role models for other students.“We have a whole team of Student Ambassadors, who are leading on climate change and the environmental agenda and we have a Student Council, which has already started contributing to the Academy.”

Performing and Creative Arts

Every Thursday night, members of the Freebrough Drama Youth

Theatre meet to work towards public performances. ‘Keep the Change’ will be the next exciting production from the Drama Youth

Theatre. This is a comedy piece set in a restaurant, written by our very own Miss Beasley. Year 6 students and parents were able to see a sneak preview of ‘Keep the Change’ during Year 6 Open Evening which took place on Wednesday 30 March 2011.

Voltage is the boys dance company at Freebrough. It has been running for

approximately two months, and currently has eight members. Voltage rehearse together on Monday and Thursday lunch times and work on performance pieces.

Their fi rst performance was on Wednesday 30th March at the year 6 Open Evening at Freebrough and was well received. The company will be working on other pieces and hope to tour the local primary schools very soon.

Voltage

On Thursday 17th February the Performing and Creative Arts Department held a Danceathon. This involved 52 students from year 7, 8 and 9. Students danced non stop for two hours in the

morning and then took part in a series of workshops. The event was a huge success and enjoyed by all. In total we raised £260 which will go towards the Freebrough’s Rock Challenge attempt in 2012.

Danceathon

Move It

Drama Youth Theatre

A sell out audience watched the fi rst ever Freebrough’s Got Talent event

on Thursday 7th April 2011.

Acts included singers, dancers and gymnastics and was a fantastic evening and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The competition was judged by Simon Cowell (aka Michael O’Neil), Amanda Holden (aka Carley Beasly) and Jesse J (aka Kelly Rich). The standard of talent was very high and the judges had a diffi cult time selecting a winner. The winner of the contest, Kelsey

Sutcliffe said: “I didn’t know they had said I’d won, as it was so loud, everybody was shouting. It was only when my friend told me I had won, that I realised. I couldn’t believe it.” Kelsey’s name will be engraved on a cup that will be kept in the school but she was given a plaque and a box of chocolates to take home. Emma Armstrong took second place while Amber North and Scarlet Ash were third.This will be an annual event so hope to see you there this time next year!

The whole Academy community joined together on Friday 18 March

to support this year’s Comic Relief fundraising effort. Students and staff were able to attend in fancy dress, red clothing or non uniform. The fancy dress theme was particularly popular with students in pyjamas, huge infl atable sumo suits, tutus, banana suits and wigs. Mrs Halbert and the Senior Leadership Team also made a special effort and looked very smart in student uniforms! Throughout the day, money was raised through sponsored silences and walks, break time beauty salon, cake stalls, guess the teacher baby photo competition, armpit waxing, busking and many other fun activities. However, the most popular activity turned out to be ‘Staff in Stocks’ where teachers and other staff members (including our Principal, Mrs Halbert) were securely fastened into the Freebrough Academy stocks to have wet sponges thrown at them. The students showed no mercy!

A fantastic day was had by all involved and a tremendous £1448.31 was raised to support the lifesaving projects helped by Comic Relief.

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 2011 7

Freebrough really has got talent

The winner of the contest, Kelsey Sutcliffe

On Friday 11th March the Performing and Creative Arts

Department took a group of students to London for the Move It 2011 exhibition at Olympia. The exhibition included; live performances from dance artists and companies, workshops for students to take part, market place and opportunity for students to meet performers such as Akai, Turbo and Twist and Pulse. The trip was fantastic and all students who attended thoroughly enjoyed it.

Enterprising Red Nose Day

Emma Armstrong busking for Comic Relief

Linda Halbert said: “We have created a 21st Century learning space, a huge stage and performance area with huge screens.”

Freebrough student Ben Sandie competed recently in the English

Schools’ Athletic Association Cross Country Championships. Ben set himself the aspirational target of finishing in the top 50 but got himself into an excellent position out of the pen and pushed hard throughout the race maintaining top 20 all the way round the course. Conditions were perfect for Ben to perform to his best and he did just this,

finishing in a phenomenal 18th place! Quite an achievement when racing against the top 320 boys in the country! Sarah Deakin, of the PE Department at Freebrough Academy said: “This is the furthest through the competition any Freebrough student has ever progressed and Ben put in an outstanding performance. I feel extremely proud of what he has achieved; he is helping to put Freebrough Academy and Cleveland on the map!”

Ben racing to UK Top 20 An 18 strong team of students from

Freebrough Academy in Brotton have been putting their best feet forward to raise funds for their Duke of Edinburgh Award unit. The team walked a distance of 21 miles along the Cleveland Way which runs through five villages in the Academy’s community and finished at the Whale Bones in Whitby. The walk took eight hours in total and all 18 students successfully completed the full walk. Dave Griffiths (Director of Zenith Leisure) said: “All the team gave 100% effort on the walk and although some suffered lots of blisters they never gave up. All the students

worked very hard and are a credit to the Academy.” One of the walkers said “My dad did this walk when he was 37 so he said it was fantastic that I have completed it at such a young age, he is really proud of me!” The team were cheered at the finish by the Principal Mrs Halbert; a well awaited sight for some after their intrepid challenge! Mrs Halbert said “It was a fantastic achievement by the students and the staff who accompanied them. It is a testament to the character and commitment of the students at Freebrough Academy. I am very proud of them and think they are such positive role models for all young people.”

A group of students and staff from Freebrough Academy, Brotton have

had enough of rubbish.They are tired of the tide of litter that is spoiling this beautiful part of East Cleveland.And just to prove how much they loathe litter, the Freebrough Academy Clean Team, assisted by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council representatives, went out into the streets on Monday 4 April to pick up junk. By their actions they aim to show the rest of the community how big a problem litter is, and to encourage them to start disposing of it properly.Figures released by the UK’s biggest anti-litter campaign, Keep Britain Tidy, have revealed:• That council taxpayers in the UK fork out £780m a year to clean the streets. • Over 30m tonnes of litter are collected from our streets each year • That thanks to the growing presence of dropped food, the UK rat population now stands at approximately sixty million

• Last year 44,000 people were prosecuted for dropping litter. Their actions earned them an £80 fineLike everywhere else in the UK, Brotton has its fair share of litter problems. But thanks to the Freebrough Academy Clean Team we at least have people prepared to do something about it.Kimberley Forteath, who is co-ordinating the tidy up, said: “This clean up will show others that we care about the future of our local environment and that we are not prepared to live, work and play in an area that is blighted by rubbish. What is good about working together like this is it creates a sense of community between the residents of the local area and our students and for some of our younger volunteers it is their first taste of active citizenship.”Thirty two people took part in the tidy up including students, Freebrough Academy staff, parents and council representatives and over 40 sack of litter were collected in just two hours! A big well done to everyone who got involved.

Freebrough Flyer Vol 1 April 20118

Freebrough Academy studentstake a walk on the wild side!

Keep it clean urge Freebrough Academy