January/

February

2014

Message from the Head Teacher

Welcome. Our monthly newsletter is an opportunity for us to share with you the many

interesting activities on offer and celebrate our students’ achievements which we are

proud of. Over recent editions we have identified changes and improvements being

made. This work continues. In our recent Ofsted report, inspectors acknowledged that

the school is well lead. They agreed we have put in place the right changes and that

improvements can be seen. As you will see from this edition our drive to increase

attendance and punctuality to school is working. Our overall attendance has improved

significantly in line with the national average, but we do not intend to settle for that!

Remember: Every minute lost = a minute less to make progress and succeed.

Ms C O’Driscoll, Head Teacher

Dates for your diary Fri 24

th Jan Ski Trip (1 week)

Mon 17th

Feb Half Term (1 week)

Mon 24th

Feb Training Day (no students)

Tue 25th

Feb Students return 8.40am

Kingsbury School and Sports College, Kingsbury Road, Erdington,

Birmingham, B24 8RE

Phone: 0121 373 1080 Fax: 0121 306 4878

Web: www.kingsbury.bham.sch.uk E-mail: enquiry@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk t: @KingsburySSC

Several Year 11 students are celebrating good GCSE grades in Maths and English six months ahead of the main exams. Particular congratulations should go to Nelly Maina and Salma Hassan who gained A in both English and Maths, and Jon Williams and Alan Kayongo who are amongst several students who exceeded their target grades.

Maths students who gained an A in the November exams are now starting on A Level work with their teachers, ahead of the move to 6

th Form next year. Mr Bartlett

Welcome to the following staff who joined us this term. Ms Mullins

Mr A Barton Catering Manager Mr A Bradshaw Raising Achievement Assistant, Maths Mr I Brown Climate for Learning Assistant Mrs A Fields Receptionist Mr Y Khan Climate for Learning Assistant Mr Z Khan Climate for Learning Assistant Mrs G Mann Faculty Leader, English and Media Miss A Mullin Teacher of Spanish Mrs S Rhone-Windridge Lead Practitioner, Drama Mrs C Sterne Curriculum Leader, Drama

November Exam Success

Homework Club

Fridays 1.40-3pm in the

Library

Open to all students. Support available with homework tasks or students can just use the space to work.

Mrs Baskerville

‘Operation Alarm Clock’ proving a success “Getting to school on time is really important because if you miss lessons you might not get the grades you need.” says Year 9’s Simra Bi, who was thrilled to win an iPad Mini in our ‘Hate 2 be Late’ punctuality competition. Her name was drawn from all those who had achieved 100% punctuality since the start of the school year. Simra intends to use the iPad for homework research and to chat to family members online. The prize was awarded as part of the school’s drive to raise standards, improve attendance and timekeeping. Good punctuality is crucial to students’ learning, avoids disruption of lessons, and can affect future career chances, as confirmed by two of the area’s largest employers, who work with Kingsbury, agree with the school’s focus on attendance and punctuality: “Developing positive attendance and timekeeping habits at a young age will serve students well throughout their

Rebecca inspires students with her true life story As part of its work to raise students’ aspirations, the school has a regular programme of guest speakers to inspire, educate and motivate young students. On 11

th December, local entrepreneur Rebecca Hemmings visited Year 9. Her

entertaining and inspirational story of overcoming the odds to achieve success amazed the students and inspired them to never give up on their dreams. Rebecca’s theatre background shone through in her performance of ‘Breaking news: Becky’s diary’ which tells the story of her younger self growing up in Aston amidst gangs, crime and bullying. Against the odds, Rebecca achieved her goals through a love of reading and the arts, and went on to considerable success in business. She told the

students that there is always a way to achieve your dream, as long as you take action! Student Kymani Williams was impressed: “It was really good” he said: “Rebecca was very funny and good for a younger audience. She showed that no matter how hard your life is, you can always turn it around.” Rebecca’s assembly was excellent; her story was relevant and inspiring to the students, and she totally captured their attention. We look forward to her next visit. Pictured: Rebecca Hemmings with students Athsham Khan, Elias Ali, Abraham Venables, Katie Webber, Sindus Ahmed, Sabah Aslam and Sanna Shazad.

Remember, the same rules apply on the other side! (Answer is on the back page) Miss Woodward

working life. These qualities along with others will stand students in the very best stead should they wish to apply for apprenticeships at Jaguar Land Rover.” said Andy Brown from Jaguar Land Rover’s Graduate, Undergraduate and Apprentice recruitment team. Bid Manager Leah Shafik, from Interserve’s regional office in Erdington agreed: “Attendance and punctuality shows commitment, attentiveness and determination and indicates a positive person ready to get things done.” The campaign is proving a real success. We have already seen a dramatic improvement in punctuality during the first term and the campaign will continue during 2014. Mr Halstead

Big Brum project During last half term, Year 7 students worked with Big Brum Theatre Company to produce a performance based on homelessness. This was performed for Year 5 pupils from four local primary schools: Birches Green, Erdington Hall, St Barnabas and Yenton. Students were divided into groups and given various responsibilities such as stage design, music, performance, promotions and catering. The result of the hard work by students and staff under the guidance of Big Brum resulted in a fantastic experience which was appreciated by all who attended. Well done to all the students. Mrs Hitchins

Kingsbury makes it ‘better with a sweater’

Staff and students decided to have some fun and show their ‘good wool’ by participating in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on 13

th December.

Prizes were awarded for the ‘dodgiest’ staff jumper at a competition held after school. It was a great opportunity to raise some money and a few smiles, and to celebrate it being nearly the end of term. The event raised £120 for Save the Children – enough for 40 lifesaving mosquito nets for children in the poorest parts of the world. Mr Halstead

How many words do you read in a day? How many do you read in a week? Tanzeela Anwar has logged over 500,000 words as part of our new Year 7 Accelerated Reader programme - and is in line to win herself a Kindle Fire HD by being the first to read a million words!

This newsletter is also available online at www.kingsbury.bhamsch.uk. If you would like to receive

newsletters by email in future please email: enquiry@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk with ‘Newsletter’ in the

subject header.

In the Autumn term, Year 10 Business Students learnt that not all business is for profit. As part of Giving Nation, the students handmade Christmas stockings and goody bags for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and decorated glass candle jars for John Taylor Hospice. Their main objective was to spread some joy and hope in the festive season. Mrs Jennings

Pictured above right: Aimee Wiggins, Fahriya Baane, Sarah-Louise Geoghegan, Precious Iriabe, Fatima Sajid, Amir Badley and Subramanian Chandersahar

Half a million words? That'll accelerate

your reading!

Co-ordinated by Mrs Bowley (pictured with Tanzeela), the programme tests students and directs them to the best books to read to improve their vocabulary and literacy development. Quizzes taken on our NEO2 consoles, online or via the Accelerated Reader app track their progress. The programme is proving very popular with students, who are getting involved in discussions about their books, and there is an element of competition too. We have high expectations that this programme will have a very positive impact on literacy and attainment across the curriculum. Students are being rewarded termly for the most progress made in each English class. Prizes include a reward trip to the fantastic Library of Birmingham, and there are two Kindle Fire HD’s up for grabs. At present Tanzeela seems to be odds on favourite to win one as the first student in the ‘Millionaire’s Club’ – but the competition is on all term so there is time for other students to catch her up! ““Accelerated Reader is great because it encourages students to read more books.” says Taneeka. “My favourite author is Jacqueline Wilson. Her stories are interesting and deal with issues that affect young people.” As well as enjoying reading, Taneeka thinks it is very important for students’ learning and for their GCSE’s, something which we are confident the Accelerated Reader programme will support. For more information about Accelerated Reader or if parents want to know how else they can support the development of their child's reading skills, contact jbarton@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk Mr Barton

Students Spread Festive Cheer

Kingsbury girls shine at Futsal The Year 7 and 8 Girls’ Futsal team has only recently formed, and so far is undefeated. They have beaten other schools in the local area with a minimum score of 2-0 and are now going through to the Level 3 School Games competition at the Birmingham Futsal arena on the 7th February. The team will be representing North Birmingham. This is a fantastic achievement and could not have been done without the determination, dedication and perseverance of all the girls. Let’s keep that run of clean sheets!! Miss Walters

KSSP continues the Olympic

Legacy

The Young Ambassador Conference, hosted by Wolverhampton University and organised by Kingsbury School Sports Partnership on 17th December, saw 150 young people and teachers come together to learn and develop their roles as ambassadors to inspire others in their schools and clubs.

The event was one of sixteen conferences taking place nationally. Kingsbury organised the Midlands Region event in their role as a Youth Sport Trust Partner School with responsibility for developing Leadership, Coaching and Volunteering as part of the London 2012 Legacy.

Two Youth Sport Trust Mentors were also on hand to share their experiences: Two times Olympian Daniel Caines is a World,

Commonwealth, European and Europa Cup Champion in 400m and 4x400m relay, and Wheelchair Fencing athlete Gemma Collis represented Great Britain in the 2012 World Championships and the London 2012 Paralympics – just ten months after taking up the sport!

Ian Cawley, Development Manager for the Youth Sport Trust which works with schools, Government and sports governing bodies to develop PE and school sport, was very impressed with the event: “The conference was well organised, inspired those that attended, and brought to life the vision we had for these events” said Ian: “I would like to thank Alison and the team for organising a great event, and the Youth Sport Trust look forward to working with Kingsbury in the future.”

It was a privilege to work with so many talented young people. Gemma and Daniel inspired the Young Ambassadors with their enthusiasm and love of sport and showed how it can truly change lives. The young people will now work with Kingsbury Partnership’s Silver Ambassadors to pass on what they learned at the conference and develop their skills further. Miss Mapp

Pictured: KSSP Ambassadors with Athletes Daniel Caines and Gemma Collis.

Kingsbury School and Sports College, Kingsbury Road, Erdington,

Birmingham, B24 8RE

Phone: 0121 373 1080 Fax: 0121 306 4878

Web: www.kingsbury.bham.sch.uk E-mail: enquiry@kingsbury.bham.sch.uk t:

Sainsbury’s Active

Kids

We are taking part again this year, and would be very grateful if you would send us any vouchers you collect. We will use them to

buy equipment to help us promote healthy lifestyles with our students. Please send them in with your child or bring to main reception. Thank You. Miss Stevens