Hazelwick School

Newsletter

Headlines Ms A Fearon, Headteacher

Dates for your Diary:

Mon 8 June:

Year 12, start of A2

lessons

Tues 9 June:

Year 10 Sports Day am

Year 8 Sports Day pm

Wed 10 June:

Year 9 Sports Day am

Year 7 Sports Day pm

Thurs 11 June - Fri 26 June:

Year 10, exams

Mon 15 June:

Headteacher Drop-In

4.30 to 6.30pm

Mon 22 June:

Year 12 Higher Education

Meeting

Tue 23 June:

Year 13, Clearance Tea

Wed 24 June:

Year 9, Awards Evening

Fri 26 June:

Art Show

Mon 29 June:

Year 10, Awards Evening

Mon 29 June - Fri 3 July:

Year 12, Exeter Week

Thurs 9 July:

Summer Concert

May Reflection:

“Be happy in the moment,

that’s enough. Each

moment is all we need, not

more.”

Mother Teresa

May 2015

Headlines Ms A Fearon, Headteacher

All good wishes

House Update

As you will read on page eight, the first winners of our new House cup was

Wilberforce House. Very well done, Wilberforce; a fantastic achievement.

Exams are now fully underway, with two weeks of GCSE and AS exams – and a small number of A levels –

already completed. The majority of students have been preparing themselves well, working hard at home

and attending booster sessions in school. Can I please request parents of all Year 11 students to

encourage your child to attend planned revision sessions; attendance will certainly maximise their chances

of success.

Two highly enjoyable evenings of celebration have taken place over

the last few weeks; the Year 11 Leavers’ Ball was held on Thursday

30 April and students and staff enjoyed a drinks and nibbles

reception at school before going to the Grand Hotel Brighton; a new

venue for our Year 11 Prom. A truly wonderful evening was had by

all; staff at the hotel commented on how courteous, pleasant and

well-behaved our students were. More details can be found on page

six.

Year 13 students had organised their Leavers’ Ball at Lingfield Racecourse on

Friday 15 May. Students and many staff enjoyed delicious food, great music

and dancing and an amusing awards ceremony! It was a memorable evening

and a fitting end to their time at Hazelwick. More details can be found on

page seven.

Parent Questionnaires

At all Parents' Evenings, we ask parents/carers to complete a brief questionnaire to give us feedback on

what we are doing well and the areas in which we need to improve. I am delighted to report that the vast

majority of responses are overwhelmingly positive. At the Year 9 Parents’ Evening in March, 100% of

parents reported that their child is making good progress at Hazelwick, and this excellent figure was the

same for those that feel their child is well taught, those that feel their child is well looked after and those

that believe there are high expectations at Hazelwick. At Wednesday's Year 10 evening, very positive

responses were again received, with some wonderful comments;

“I am absolutely delighted with my child’s progress at Hazelwick.”

“Very good school with excellent teachers and staff. Thank you.”

“I wish I could have been educated at this school.”

Thank you to all of you who completed the questionnaires. We are delighted to have such positive

feedback on the satisfaction of the majority of our parents. We are also always keen to improve what we

are doing at Hazelwick, and take very seriously any concerns that any parent may have. If there are issues

that you would like to bring to my attention, please contact me by email via my PA, Mrs Sarah

Sparrowhawk (ssparrowhawk@hazelwick.org.uk), or book a slot at my next parent drop-in to be held on

Monday 15 June between 4.30 and 6.30pm; please email my PA to arrange a time.

Page 2

News, Events & Activities... Year 7 go Bowling

On Thursday 23 April we took 120 Year 7 students ten-pin bowling in recognition of their excellent

attendance.

Year 7 attendance is currently well above 96%, which is fantastic! Everyone seemed to have a really good

afternoon.

Well done to all those students and particularly those that managed to outscore Mrs Dennett (there were

quite a few)!!

Mr Bagnall

Charity Abseil

The Year 8 team were very proud to learn that Tyler Saward-O’Sullivan in 8CBU completed

the Charity Abseil on 18 April and has raised approximately £1,500 (so far!) for St

Catherine’s Hospice.

Well done, Tyler!

HOY 8

Page 3

News, Events & Activities... Year 11 GCSE made Fun in Product Design

Year 11 GCSE students in Product Design have used a variety of creative revision techniques to

support them in their preparation for their forthcoming summer exams. Revision chandeliers

and key term key rings are the latest trend!

Miss Jones

Hazelwick Mock Election Results

Year Group Harry Matthes

Conservative

Tom Owen

Labour

Umaira Navaid

Liberal Democrat Total Year Group

7 105 175 28 308

8 114 135 19 268

9 78 169 20 267

10 89 172 20 281

11 76 148 34 258

12/13 80 168 27 275

Overall Total 542 967 148 1657

Tom Owen (Labour) is hereby elected representative for Hazelwick!

Page 4

News, Events & Activities... Hazelwick Book Awards – Author Event

The author Joshua Raven visited Hazelwick School to present a workshop for two groups of Year 7

students and to promote the books that he has written. Joshua Raven is an ex-student from Hazelwick

School and is now a published author.

Joshua was passionate, funny and full of advice for the students, who took part in several creative tasks

centred around the ‘Gothic’ genre. Activities included students writing a ‘seven word story’ and building up

to a ‘twenty word story’. The students were immersed in the creative workshop, and wrote many fantastic

responses.

His top tips for becoming a writer are:

1. Read as much as possible. Read a range of books from different authors and genres. You can then

use elements from these in your writing. 2. Practise writing as much as possible. Write poetry, write descriptive extracts, create plot lines and

characters. Join in and send entries off for writing competitions. The more you practise, the better

you’ll get. 3. Use your surroundings and experiences to prompt your creative ideas. Use visual images to prompt

your descriptive skills.

Joshua Raven has so far written three of the five-book quintet called ‘Five Fingers’, and often appears in

Crawley at WordFest and other events. www.5fingers.co.uk

Ms Parsons

Page 5

News, Events & Activities... Exam time in the Art Department

It has been a very busy time in the Art Department this month. There has been a buzz in the department

for weeks whilst students have been preparing for their forthcoming GCSE, AS Level and A Level final exams

in various Art disciplines. Teachers have been working with students in and out of class to get them ready

for the important exams. There have been quite a few biscuits and cups of teas handed out in after-school

sessions to keep motivation and energy levels high. GCSE students were working on the exam title of

“Apart and/or Together “ for 8 weeks. In this time, they have had to come up with a range of ideas based

around the theme. At the end of the preparation period, they sat a 10-hour exam over two days where

they produced their final piece. Similarly, the AS Level and A Level students have sat an 8-hour and 12-hour

exam based around their exam titles of “Relationships” and “Flaws, perfections, compromises and ideals”.

Photographers have been busy taking a huge range of photos experimenting with their ideas and themes.

This has involved students modelling for photo shoots dressed up in an array of outfits, body and face

painting and going out on location to create their setting. This led towards a final set of photos for their final

piece, where students work with Photoshop in our designated IT suite in their exam. Art & designers, Fine

artists and Graphics students have built up a body of work experimenting in a huge range of materials and

ideas, pushing their ideas through processes that some of them have not worked in before. Final pieces have

ranged from large paintings, clay, high graphics pieces and short film recordings. All the students have

worked hard and deserve to be congratulated for their achievements. Fingers crossed for a pleasing result in

the summer.

We are holding our annual Art Show Friday 26 June, 5-7pm. This will display coursework and the exam

work of the students. It would be great to see students and parents coming to the show to celebrate their

achievements and see how well they have done!

Mrs Harper

AS Level Final Pieces

GCSE Final Pieces

Zoe Burgess Megan Easton Callum Leaver

Yasmin Aziz Samuel Lewer

A Level Final Pieces

Abigail Taylor Hannah Lavender Samuel May Ellie Maslyn Maddison Brown

Haroon Mahmood

Arti Limbachia

Page 6

Year 11 Prom...

The evening of Thursday 30 April 2015 was a night to remember. For the first time ever the Year 11 Prom

was held at the prestigious Grand Hotel on Brighton seafront. Students arrived at school on a glorious

afternoon and enjoyed photographs in the school grounds. From there we gathered to admire everyone’s

outfits in the school hall, where a fantastic group shot was taken. A short walk (difficult for some in heels!)

was made to the coaches and we were on our way to Brighton. On arrival at the hotel, we walked through

the fabulous hotel entrance, with its elaborate ceiling and fancy décor, into our ballroom, the Empress Suite.

The room was set up beautifully with balloons, dining tables with crisp white linen and a dance floor with DJ.

Then the music started, dancing began and the photographic studio was put to good use. Students had

photographs with friends, classmates and staff. Meanwhile the delicious food was served and a full meal was

enjoyed by all. Dancing continued for the remainder of the night and the dance floor was always packed.

Queues for the photographic studio were steady and the online gallery of photographs shows everyone off at

their best. In a flash, the night was over and we made our way home to Crawley. The hotel staff were

hugely complimentary of our students and a thoroughly enjoyable night was had by all.

Thank you to everyone involved.

Heads of Year 11

Page 7

Year 13 Leavers’ Ball...

After almost two years of relentless hard work, and before focusing their minds in preparation for the

summer exams for the last time at Hazelwick, the time had come for the Year 13 Leavers’ Ball. Held at the

racecourse in Lingfield on May 15, the sun was shining and the atmosphere was set.

Students began to arrive at 7:30pm and started getting their photos taken outside the pavilion building.

The function room, decorated with red, gold and white looked stunning and gave students an opportunity

to enjoy a drink and conversation overlooking the racetrack.

A finger buffet was provided offering a large variety of delicious food and was the precursor to the much

anticipated awards. Presented by two of our students, the awards voted for by the student body were well

received and a good source of amusement.

The music came on to a great cheer and the dance floor was packed right through to the last song at

midnight.

With over 100 students and 20 staff attending, showing the strong bond between this year group and their

teachers, the evening was a huge success. A massive thank you to all those involved in making it so.

Mr Whitley

Page 8

House News... The Fleming vs Brunel match this half-term was a highly

competitive match and, despite Fleming losing, they

conducted themselves well after the match.

Congratulations to Brunel who scored four goals, two

from Scott Ryan and two from Samraaz Iqbal, with a

lovely assist from Sahil Sharma.

We look forward to the closing matches next half-term

that will decide the winning House.

Mr Bignell

The 2014-2015 House year has come to an end. Whilst it has been a very close competition over the past

few months, it was Wilberforce House that emerged as the first winners of the Cup, followed by Bamber in

second place and Brunel in third. Therefore, congratulations must go to all students and staff in Wilberforce

House. There were many contributing factors to this success, not least the points gained in winning the

recent Year 7 cricket competition, an event which saw Brunel and Fleming pick up points in second and third

places respectively. With the mantra of ‘May the Wilberforce be with you’ the students of Wilberforce House

reflected the same dedication to their cause as William Wilberforce had to his; students knew what they

wanted to achieve, set out how they would go about achieving this, and then put the effort into ensuring

their success - yet another sign that effort really does achieve. Well done, Wilberforce!

Congratulations, however, must go to all students who have been involved in House activities and events this

House year. Every student has made a contribution to the overall points totals, whether through achievement

points or active involvement in charity events (which raised £3534.89 for Charity this House Year) or other

activities and sports competitions. Furthermore, we wish to thank our six Year 13 House Leaders, and wish

them well as they leave Hazelwick and go on to other things. Their organisation and assistance have been

much appreciated by all, and their contribution has helped to make this year a success. Thanks must also go

to our 18 House Captains and 216 House Representatives who, with the House Leaders, helped to facilitate

everything that has taken place over the past nine months.

The next House year begins after the summer half term break. Sports Days are on the horizon, giving all

students the opportunity to pick up points and put their House in a great position for the start of the next

academic year. Achievement points will also be included once again, so there will be a real drive to keep up

the high standards set by students of all Houses. The House competition was close this year, and students

should continue to strive for excellence: a point could make all the difference in next year’s competition,

whether it be a point for effort in lessons, academic achievement, amazing homework or a general

contribution to the Hazelwick community.

Heads of Hazelwick Houses

Watch this space – our next article will include all six newly created House Crests!

Page 9

Read On!

Politics and other ‘big issues’

Reflecting the recent elections, in and outside school, I thought it would be perfect timing to compile a list of

titles on some of the ‘big issues’, to include politics, freedom of choice, immigration, and human rights.

Teen Fiction

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman This title is the first in the series which won several book awards. The story is set in a world where the

population is divided into two factions: the black Crosses are the ruling race with the White noughts

perceived as second class citizens. The story focuses upon the relationship between Callum, who is a

Nought, and his best friend, Sephy, a Cross. Their relationship is frowned upon by both factions of society

and, faced with increasing discrimination, the two must battle to remain together. This is a clever and

compelling exploration of the theme of racial prejudice. The fact that the author reverses the traditional

racial stereotypes gives a different perspective. Please note the story also explores other issues including

murder, violence, pregnancy and abortion.

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2013, this coming of age story, written in verse, tackles the alienation

experienced by many young immigrants. The central character is twelve-year-old Kasienka, who leaves her

native Poland with her mother as they come to live in Britain to search for her father. Kasienka becomes

increasingly lonely as she is ostracised by the girls at school. Her feeling of alienation is made worse by the

fact that she is often left alone by her mother who searches the streets of Coventry for her missing husband.

Kasienka takes comfort in swimming and it is here that she forms a friendship with William. This is an

unsentimental but moving story with a realistically drawn central character. The story does contain one

swear word but this is in context with the story.

Page 10

Read On Continued….

The Road of Bones by Anne Fine Anne Fine’s hard-hitting allegorical tale about the nature of totalitarianism has the theme of human rights at

the core and examines the nature of state repression, personal freedom and responsibility. This is thrilling

and sometimes harrowing adventure where a twelve-year-old boy is sent to a mining camp in the frozen

wastes after he speaks too openly against the tyrannical regime. Will he escape and what will he escape to?

Adult Fiction These titles are adult fiction titles and may contain themes and scenes that are unsuitable for younger

readers.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Brave New World was first published in 1932 and is set in a fictional future where a totalitarian government

use science and technology, in addition to politics, to control society. In Huxley’s future, this combination is

detrimental to free will and the rights of the individual and leads to the loss of humanity. Although the book

has similar themes to Nineteen Eighty-Four, the methods used to control society are very different and

makes it a great contrasting read.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell This classic dystopian novel was first published in 1949 but is just as relevant today with the themes of

power, totalitarian states, censorship, privacy and political forces. Winston Smith is the protagonist of the

novel who works for the Ministry of Truth which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism.

Secretly Smith hates the Party and dreams of a rebellion against Big Brother. And then Winston falls in

love…

Page 11

Read On Continued….

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling Rowling’s first book for an adult readership is set in a small West Country town and begins with the death of

Barry Fairbrother, a respected Parish Councillor. Due to his death, a seat on the council is made vacant and

an election to find his successor needs to takes place. Campaigning begins, as do the dirty tricks, when the

candidates’ secrets are shared via the local Parish Council online forum! I think the story works best as a

parable about national politics which allows Rowling to focus upon a range of social issues. These issues

include domestic violence, child abuse and rape, drug problems and racism, all of which are experienced by

the different characters in the story.

Non-Fiction titles

Equality and Gender Roles edited by Lisa Firth Part of the non-fiction ‘Issues’ series, this series uses articles and information from a range of different

sources, including newspapers and journals, government reports, surveys and websites to explore topical

issues. This title focuses upon sexual equality in school, in the home and in the workplace. The title

contrasts the countries around the world, where women and girls still face educational inequality, poverty

and violence, with the UK, where gender equality has made massive strides in the past few decades. This

book also discusses where gender inequality still exists in the UK, including the full-time pay gap between

male and female employees and the lack of FTSE 100 female board members.

A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr Andrew Marr’s social history of Britain post-1945 until the end of the Blair era focuses upon the politics and

politicians over the decades and looks at the fickle nature of the voting public. Marr blends analysis of major

political and economic events with social trends and pop culture.

Page 12

Read On Continued….

The Political Animal by Jeremy Paxman In this non-fiction title, Paxman examines the characteristics of politicians and tries to discover just what

makes politicians tick. Delving into the minds of politicians past and present, he provides us with a thorough

analysis of what they want, why they do it, what they believe in and what they really get out of it.

Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala

Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick

This is the truly remarkable story of a girl who was raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by

terrorism. Malala was taught to stand up for what she believed in and, when the Taliban took control of her

home town, they stopped girls attending school. Malala refused and campaigned for her right for education

by attending secret schools, giving interviews, publishing her diaries and planning widespread campaigns with

her friends. On 9 October, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause when she was shot point-blank on

her way home from school. Her determination and her commitment to inspire change make this a

compelling read and food for thought about the rights we sometimes take for granted.

Happy Reading!

Mrs Thornton

Page 13

Spotlight on Safeguarding... Recent press stories have highlighted issues relating to safeguarding and the well-being of young people. We all

share responsibility within the community to do all that we possibly can to keep our children safe. At

Hazelwick we have always had the safety of our students at the forefront of everything we do.

As part of our continued focus on safeguarding, we will be making parent and carers aware, through our

newsletter, of the many and varied issues that effect all young people in today’s society.

An excellent external resource for adults and young people regarding children’s well being and safety is the

NSPCC website : http://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/

This month, we are raising awareness of the issue of Extremism.

‘One Extreme to the Other’

On Friday 8th May, Year 9 students, in Block 1 took part in a workshop provided by GW Theatre Company.

They watched a performance called ‘One Extreme to the Other’.

The play deals with issues of violent extremism by showing its impact on two families. Members of both

families fall under the influence of opposing extremist groups.

The intentions behind the play were to provide students with factual information regarding the risks and

consequences of violent extremism. It gave students a safe space to analyse risk and start to consider peaceful

resolutions to these conflicts.

In feedback, students commented that they found the play powerful, interesting and relevant to today’s issues

in the UK. They were given the opportunity to hot-seat two of the young characters. Some students said

that the hot-seating was their favourite part as they got to hear why and how the young people in the play

were manipulated to use extreme violence. Others questioned whether all children are vulnerable to this

type of manipulation. One student said, ‘It felt like real life with real people; this was very powerful’. Most

students were confident that they knew how to access support if they were worried about the issues covered

in the play, or if they feel they are being manipulated in some way.

If you would like further information about the issues covered in the play, you can visit:

Child Exploitation Online Protection http://www.ceop.police.uk/

Sussex Police http://sussex.police.uk/

Page 14

Homework Club

A reminder that Homework Club runs in the Learning Resource Centre, Monday to Thursday, from 3.10pm

to 4.30pm, for students in Years 7, 8 and 9 to study and, where necessary, to receive support from a team of

Teaching Assistants. For further details, please ring Mrs Bending on the school number (extension 2333).

For more details, please see the school website - www.hazelwick.org or contact us on 01293 403344

The majority of the photos featured in this newsletter were taken by Barry Holder and more of his excellent

photography can be viewed on the school website.

Sport... Girls success at the English Schools Track and Field Cup

On Tuesday 12 May the Junior and Inter girls athletics team travelled to K2 for the annual track and field

cup competition. After a day of very fierce competition, the Junior team came an excellent third behind

Burgess Hill and Bishop Luffa. The Inters dominated the track and won overall, beating strong teams from

across West Sussex. As a result, the Inters have now qualified for the South East regional round. We are

waiting to hear if the Junior team have scored enough points to join them.

Well done to all involved!

Pictured are a mix of the Junior and Inter girls teams.

Mrs Reynolds