Spring Edition

Issue 14

NewsletterWILLENHALL E-ACT ACADEMY

Highlights

Westminster at Walsall College

STEM Challenge

Science Week

DNA: Year 13 Production

Year 7 Kindle Club

WBA Football Coaching

University of Cambridge Visit

Written by Daniel Meads

To enrich our A-level Physics studies and in order to explore the possibilities of education beyond Post 16, some of us were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Cambridge University earlier this term. When we arrived, we saw that the university grounds and buildings were very large, grand and traditional. The students and staff were welcoming and friendly and we were given a tour of one of the university colleges, which housed student accommodation as well as Admissions staff. This was a very picturesque area with lawns and fountains in the centre and some of the bedrooms were huge, with their own balconies! Personally, I found this very intriguing as it was very different to other universities I have visited previously.

Throughout the day we attended talks, lectures and workshops. These included Physics related topics such as: ‘The Clockwork Universe’ and ‘The Mechanics of our World’. These were very thought provoking and gave an insight into what it would be like to study degree level Physics at

Cambridge. We also had the chance to carry out a practical titled: ‘Pendulum magic’, which gave us hands on experience of the practical element of the course and how to use some clever maths to get great results! Personal highlights of mine included discussing the possibilities of time travel and the application of mechanics to juggling!

From our visit, we gained perspective of what it would be like to study at Cambridge and left enthused with the potential for our studies.

Willenhall E-ACT Academywww.willenhalle-actacademy.org.uk

Looking to the Future - Robot ClubStudents are currently taking part in a national competition run by Harper Adams University to design a robot that might in future, carry out tasks currently done by humans. The robot club is run by Head of IT Mr Chauhan, allows pupils to think about technology of the future and what robots might be needed or wanted. The competition means a chance to win £700 worth of prizes for the school.Zayan Mohammed said, “I am designing a robot because my brother showed me the poster and it looked interesting and I wanted to join”Alex Robotham said, “We have been talking about what types of robots we could have in the future”

STEM:Black Country Skills Factory Challenge Event

- Girl PowerA keen group of Year 8 Willenhall girls attended a STEM (Science, Technology, English and Maths) event at the Forest Arts Centre. The aim of the day was to involve teams of pupils setting up their own mini-manufacturing businesses and competing to create a new product that encapsulates the values of 21st Century

manufacturing such as innovation, creativity, invention and teamwork.

The hope is that the event will encourage more girls into the manufacturing by showing them the interesting and rewarding jobs available within the sector. Over 100 girls were involved from ten schools across the Black Country. Of course, the Black Country has a rich manufacturing heritage, with an existing cluster of HVM (high value manufacturing) businesses. STEM raises the awareness and aspirations of young people who would not normally consider pathways to careers in this sector.

Dear Parent/Guardian

I write to introduce you to the latest edition of the Willenhall E-ACT Academy newsletter and to celebrate another splendid term at the Academy.

The newsletter celebrates some of the wonderful things that have been achieved by our staff and students during the course of the term and I hope that you enjoy reading it. Some of my personal highlights have been the post 16 visit to Westminster followed by afternoon tea in the Carlton Club and the recent victory in the Leon Jesson Technology Challenge.

This term also saw the second HMI monitoring visit that went successfully. Although we still have lots to do HMI Deborah James commented that ‘teaching has improved since the last inspection’. Inspectors visited twenty eight lessons over the two days and during the inspection 61 % of lessons were graded as good or better. She described Willenhall students as ‘enthusiastic learners.’

Twenty four staff have worked with external providers Third Wave and Wood Green Academy to complete externally accredited teacher effectiveness programmes that will further improve the standard of teaching at Willenhall. This will lead to more engaging learning at Willenhall.

We will be saying good bye to several highly valued members of staff and thank them for their efforts at Willenhall. We wish them well for the future. We will also welcome Clive Jones as a new Vice Principal after Easter who comes to us from South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy.

I know that you will enjoy reading the newsletter and wish you a very happy Easter Tom Ashley (Principal)

A message from our Principal Mr. T Ashley

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Willenhall E-ACT Academy

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DNA: Year 13 Production

DNA is a contemporary play written by Dennis Kelly. DNA deals with a whole host of contemporary issues through its portrayal of a particularly disaffected and alienated teenage-orientated view of the ‘modern’ world. The scenes are full of confrontational situations, often framed around a character addressing another with no response and at times this creates scenes constructed of a series of monologues. This lack of communication builds

powerful dramatic tension and often explodes into furious arguments between characters and within characters.

Characters are:-Hannah Bridges- LeahCurtis Scott-PhilRanveer Bahia- John Tate/AdamShannon Hardwick- JanCarris Randall- MarieSophia Arrowsmith- RachelAlannah Cossey- BridgetDanielle Tift- Cathy

Female Politician Backs Students to Follow Her Lead A former London councillor and prominent female politician visited Walsall College to meet students and local schoolchildren and inspire women to pursue a career in politics.Lucy Allan, who is the prospective parliamentary candidate for Telford at the 2015 General Election, dropped in at Walsall College to meet students from local Walsall schools.She talked to the next generation of would-be politicians about her own career in the Conservative Party and promoted it as a pathway to a successful career. The visit came after MPs announced earlier this month that they were launching an enquiry, the results of which

will be published in May, into why so many women are quitting politics.The former councillor for the London borough of Wandsworth received a tour of the £64 million campus and stressed that politicians needed to re-engage with young people.

Prospective MP for Walsall North, Douglas Hansen-Luke, who organised the event, also spoke to students about the work and Apprenticeship opportunities which will be available to them at the new i54 Enterprise Park when it is completed. The politicians met students from Willenhall E-ACT Academy, Mirus Academy, Brownhills School, Aldridge School and St Francis of Assisi College during the lunchtime visit.

Lucy, speaking to around 40 students, said, “I’ve been lucky enough to do some amazing things in politics and I want young people like you to have the same opportunities I’ve had. You can do anything you set your mind to”.

“There are not enough women in politics and a lot fewer women seem to put themselves forward which is something I really want to tackle. I think a lot of women lack self-confidence and it is a culture young people like you can change because I actually believe women make better politicians as they are very good at relating to people on the doorstep.”

Lucy was very happy and comfortable to talk about her experience as a woman in politics which gave the students a great insight into the progress being made to ensure more women are elected as members of parliament. Post 16 student

The UKMT maths challenge is a national competition that is run by The University of Leeds.

Winning a certificate in these challenges is a terrific achievement as the challenges are only taken by the highest achievers and certificates are only awarded to the top 40% of participants nationally. Special recognition should also go out to the top performers within the academy as they have been awarded either a best in Year or best in school certificate. IMC challenge (Year 11)Best in school - Supriya JassalBest in year - Supriya JassalSilver - Supriya JassalBronze - Scott Marshall, Lauren Phillips SMC challenge (Sixth Form)Best in school - Kyle ThorpBest in year - Kyle Thorp, Rajveer SandhuSilver - Rajveer Sandhu, Kyle ThorpBronze - Calum Bray, Ryan Withnall, Jack Brazier.

Congratulations to the Maths Challenge certificate winners!

The Power of Numbers

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Mr Clark from the BMC tells the Willenhall Newsletter about his other role

When did you start your training to become a Referee/Assistant Referee?I started refereeing in 2005, I attended a game with my Dad who was a referee and one of the Assistants didn’t turn up so Dad asked me to do the game and I really enjoyed doing it so I asked if I could start refereeing and I enrolled on the course with Staffordshire FA.

What is your role at a football match? When acting as a Referee my role is to control the game of football and apply the laws of the game to allow both the players and spectators to enjoy the game that they are playing/watching.

When acting in the role of the Assistant Referee, it is really what it says on the tin, we support the referee throughout the game we do this mainly by judgements of offside and indicating fouls and misconduct.

How do you become a Linesman? Do you have to train as a referee first?Yes you have to referee you cannot go into football and just act as an assistant referee. You have to complete a course over a weekend of practical refereeing and then a technical session on learning the laws of the game.

How long does it take to get to the Football League?That all depends on the assessments that you have and the marks that you receive in the games. It took me 7 years to get from Basic Course to the Football League.

What is the biggest game you’ve done to date?In the FA Cup Third Round Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons, the FA Cup is a special competition for fans, players, clubs and us as Match Officials.

In the Football League, running the line in the Championship at Leicester City v Wigan Athletic.

Refereeing wise Histon v AFC Wimbledon in the Conference Premier – I took over the referee after he went down injured in the warm up, it was the day that AFC Wimbledon confirmed their place as 2nd in the league and their play-off place and Histon got relegated from the league.

Is it hard to ignore the crowd when you give a decision they don’t agree with?You are concentrating that hard and when you have the headsets on with the constant talking to the referee and other officials you really don’t hear what they are saying. You notice it more when you are walking off from the field of play at half time and full time.

In your opinion who is the best referee at the moment?Howard Webb, to be selected to do a World Cup Final and Champions League Final and the countless other high profile appointments shows how good he is.

What do you need to do to become an official in the Premier League?In terms of Assistant Refereeing you are assessed in every game that you do if you finish high enough in the merit list then you are going to be considered for promotion.

From the refereeing point you have to get promoted from the different levels so you have to go from the levels and would have to get promoted to the Conference, Football League and then onto the Premier League after that.




It was a Friday morning, and pupils were eagerly waiting the arrive of two WBA coaching staff that were due at Willenhall E-ACT to deliver some coaching sessions as part of the Willenhall E-ACT Football Academy starting September 2014.The event was a taster session in conjunction with West Bromwich Albion F.C who will be running a BTEC National

Diploma Level 3 in Sport from September for students aged 16-18. On the course, students will receive daily F.A qualified coaching by WBA staff and play in the highly competitive British College League.Please register your interest by emailing Mr H. Khan: [email protected]

WBA Coaching

Community MattersSwimming Pool Changing RoomsWork is still on-going to ensure that the new swimming pool changing rooms (jointly funded by Sport England, Corey Environmental Trust in Britain and Walsall Council) are completed in time for the grand opening in September 2014. The design phase is well underway on the £250,000 facility, being built to allow more local people to access the 25 metre swimming pool here at Willenhall E-ACT Academy.The new changing block will be situated at the rear of the swimming pool and will consist of a male and female changing room as well as a glazed viewing/seating area to allow spectators to see the activities taking place in the pool. The facility will be completely separate from current changing facilities making it accessible during the school day to the local community. This will enable Willenhall E-Act Academy to increase the amount of much needed swimming opportunities available to the people of Willenhall and Bentley.The planned activities for September will include an increase in local Primary Schools using our pool, early morning public swimming sessions for local people and staff, dedicated sessions for older people and an increase in vocational courses on offer such as Pool Lifeguard and Swimming teacher qualifications. We hope to be able to inform you of the new swimming opportunities available in the summer edition of the newsletter and on the website as soon as they have been finalised.For any enquiries about current or future swimming activities or anything else taking place at Willenhall E-ACT Academy please do not hesitate to contact the Community Office on 01902 633070.Follow us on Twitter @willenhallcomm and like our Facebook page for info and offers

Association for Physical Education (AfPE) West Midlands conference called ‘Ensuring Effective PE Comes to Willenhall E-ACT’Willenhall E-ACT Academy, AfPE and Black Country BeActive Partnership are working in partnership to ensure effective, high quality physical education and sport.In late February approximately 40 Primary schools attended this conference hosted at Willenhall E-ACT Academy. Approximately 60 delegates from Primary schools as far as Hereford & Worcester to more local schools in the Black Country attended a day’s course aimed to improve the quality of PE and School Sport in primary school. A very successful conference was delivered, that provided an excellent opportunity to network and to gain new ideas across a range of theoretical and practical sessions. Special mentions most go to ALL Willenhall E-ACT Academy young leaders used on the day as chaperones; they were a credit to the school.



Walsall in Westminster

Following the recent Cabinet Minister Chris Grayling’s visit to Willenhall EACT Academy, Year 12 Law students Ellie Pursglove, Tori Gardner, Megan Brewer and Jack Brazier took part in the Walsall in Westminster event with their Principal Mr T Ashley and Assistant Head of Post 16 Miss Haines. This event was organised in conjunction with Douglas Hansen-Luke, who has been selected by the Walsall North Conservatives to be their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for

the 2015 General Election. It is part of an exciting scheme that seeks to involve post sixteen students in work experience visits throughout the West Midlands, student exchanges to the Far East and a possible expedition to the source to the River Nile. It also represents yet another opportunity for Willenhall E-ACT Academy students to show off their academic talents at the highest level.

During the day they were given tours of the Houses of Parliament, where they got to ask Edward Timpson MP, Under-Secretary of State for Education, some very probing questions regarding education policy and university tuition fees. This was followed by afternoon tea at the famous Carlton Club, which is steeped in Conservative history and a visit to Campaign Headquarters, where Wendy Morton of the Conservatives spoke to the students about the importance of engaging with young people, specifically the ways in which social action projects as a positive and accessible way to make a difference in the community.

Ellie and Tori summed up the day as being an eye opening experience for them and an opportunity to learn about the workings of Parliament and the way the country is governed. They stated that it provided them with inspiration for the future and encouraged them to further their education and to reconsider their personal aspirations. Like other Willenhall E-ACT Academy students, they aspire to the very best university courses and successful careers. They described the experience and trip as thoroughly worthwhile and would like to thank Douglas Hansen- Luke for the fantastic opportunity. Mr Ashley stated that, ‘Willenhall E-ACT students once again showed they are high achievers and ready to access the highest parts of UK society’. It seems this is another step on the road to awakening of Walsall’s sleeping giant.

Members: Hayley Moore, Owen Lee Davies, Jordan Jones, Melissa Dale and Talia Wilkes.

About: : DT Club occurs every Thursday after school and enables year 7 pupils to further their knowledge and skill in additional projects that are not completed as part of the normal KS3 curriculum. What have we been up to?This Half term in DT club we have been designing and creating Vibro-bugs. This

is an electronics based project and has involved the club members researching different insects and using these as inspiration to design our own bug. We are currently cutting out prototype body parts such as legs, bodies, tails and heads using the CAD/CAM technology such as 2D design and the Laser Cutter respectively. In our next updateIn the next newsletter we will show the final Vibro-bug designs and test them to see which is the ultimate conquering bug!

More members are welcome to the club, if you are interested come and see Mr Tattam or speak to your Design Technology teacher for more information.

DT Club Year 7




STEM ChallengeWe would like to share some of the brilliant feedback that we have received from the students .The students are: Dane Westley, Bradley Westwood, Josh King, Connor Bray, Louise O’Gara, Lauren Yates, Bethan Hartshorne, Kieran Kaur.

‘I enjoyed cleaning the water and the chocolate challenge. The staff were really nice and I would love to come back’

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‘All of the event was very enjoyable and I honestly would love to do it again. This has been a wonderful experience for me, I have learnt a lot.’

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‘’I enjoyed doing all the activities and I enjoyed working with my supporter.’

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‘I really enjoyed working in a group and building the water supply was really good’

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‘I really learnt a lot and enjoyed myself. I learnt about what happens in sewers and it was interesting to see how it works’

“ “ ‘I enjoyed everything; however cleaning the sewage/drainage water was the best!’

“ “The Yr. 11 Art Exhibition was put out on display to showcase and recognise the excellent quality of work and effort put in by the Yr. 11 Art cohort during their recent mock exam. The work created was of an excellent standard.

From the students’ evaluations there were a number of skills and abilities that the students learnt or improved: • Teamwork• Communication• Listening skills• Working with employers• Creativity• Thinking about the future• Problem solving

Year 11 Art Exhibition

It was a second place finish for Willenhall, but in truth, it should have been first. Willenhall got beaten at the post for first, but second out of ten local schools is achievement in itself.The event was aimed at Year 9 students. The Inter School- Drayton Manor Theme Park Challenge, saw teams of pupils from different schools across the

borough go head to head doing several STEM challenges focussed on the theme of regenerating the Cartoon Network Street. Pupils got asked to include ride designs, advertising, marketing and finance with a brief period of access to the theme park itself.

It was a great day!

It’s second for Willenhall



Science Week at

WillenhallScience Week at Willenhall E-ACT Academy went down with a bang!Pupils from across all years 7-11 came together celebrating what makes Science great. Pupils got involved with different activities and experiments that took place throughout the week; Monday: Woosh bottles, Coke and Mento’s , Bath bombs, Foot Scrubs, Slime.Tuesday: Chocolate Rocks, Honeycomb Lava, Making CrystalsWednesday: Turning Copper into Gold, Fire writing, Wax candle Fire Ball.Thursday: Screaming Jelly Babies, Exploding Eggs.Friday: Fire Bubbles, Hydrogen Balloons.

Quotes from pupils:

“It was great; I’d love to do Science when I leave school” Year 8 pupil

“This week has been really good; I’d love to be a Scientist when I’m older” Year 8 Pupil“Science week was really good” Year 9 Pupil

“Science and engineering are vital for economic growth, and we need to do everything we can to inspire the next generation and show them the vast range of careers available to them.”Science Minister David Willetts

Easter has definitely arrived. Willenhall pupils have been learning about the circle of life thanks to the arrival of fluffy chicks.

Willenhall pupils got to see the chicks hatch and have been recording their progress, including growth, wing span and noise levels.The chicks will be going to new homes at a Free Range Farm and the school hopes to repeat the project next year.




Cashless cateringGovernment legislation for school lunches in England introduced the need for schools to gather data on school meals provided, something that they had previously not had to do. As a result, secondary schools started showing an increasing interest in cashless catering systems to help them collate this data and assist them in meeting the forthcoming legislation. Evidence further indicated that schools operating a cashless system also benefited from a range of services provided by these systems over and above simple data capture.

Our new cashless catering system was introduced at the end of January this year. The system allows for students and staff to pay for meals without handling cash at the service counter. Pupils and staff use a biometric print or a pin number to be identified at the point of service. A display on the till shows catering staff the pupil or staff member’s name, photograph and current cash balance held within the system. Items are entered into the cashless system and the amount spent is deducted from their account. Their new cash balance will show up on the display for both catering staff and the customer. Monies, either notes or coins, can be deposited into an account at revaluation units in school, using biometric print or a pin number.

An obvious benefit of the system is we are reducing potential bullying or theft, as the need for students to bring cash into school is reduced. Instead, money can be transferred online by parents into their child’s account on the system. As many parents purchase things over the internet nowadays they are used to this way of payment. Our cashless catering systems use a safe and secure system, ParentPay Data Capture, to record every till transaction, which means a parent can view detailed account statements online and even see the meal choices their child makes.

The reporting facility of our new system is vital to our school leadership team as the academy is striving to get a good, healthy and well balanced diet onto our menus. Our initial experience indicates our cashless system could prove to be a way

of encouraging our students to become healthier. As a school meal accounts for one-third of a child’s daily nutritional intake it is important for it to be good and balanced. Research also suggests healthy eating has a direct impact on behaviour, concentration and ability to learn in school. Another benefit is we can, at any time, run a report on what each child has eaten that day, week or month, this enables us to ensure that food served complies with a child’s dietary restrictions due to medical reasons or other personal reasons.

In addition to this, our cashless system also ensures those students who receive free school meals are not discriminated against. Recording on the system that a child receives free school means that it is only the school management team that need know the status of this child. We have found another benefit of the system has been the improved speed of service, which has reduced queuing times. Should you have any queries or comments regarding our cashless catering system please email [email protected]

The importance of DofE for Willenhall PupilsIn May this year, we surveyed 500 participants who were expecting A Level or equivalent exam results this summer, exploring how they feel the D of E has prepared them for life beyond the classroom.The survey revealed that the D of E really does equip young people for working life with half of the respondents stating they could demonstrate all four of the skills and attitudes the CBI suggests as illustrative of a young person being ‘employable’. Two thirds stated that, in an interview situation, they could confidently demonstrate communication skills through their D of E experience and 89 per cent said they could work as part of a team, two attributes which will prove invaluable in the workplace.Encouraging more pupils at Willenhall to think about the programme will surely improve their life skills and work life.

Business Visit to Village HotelYr 13 Business students spent a morning at the Village Hotel interviewing Heather Hoskins, the Hotel General Manager. The students asked Heather about how the Village Hotel marketed its services and also how market research was conducted to enable them to complete their Unit 3 assignment on Marketing. During the interview, Heather gave the students a great insight into some of the difficulties faced by women in the male dominated world of marketing and the leisure industry. Heather commented on how she was impressed with how professional and prepared our young people were.



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Year SevenKindle Club Newsletter

You are a lone Dwarf, venturing through the lands of Odinia in search of riches and fame. You carry a backpack containing:-5 meals.-Your trusty, steel sword.-50 gold coins.-And a small knife.It is gradually becoming night, the sky slowly turning black and rumbling. You notice a small cart full of warm hay. Behind you, a wolf howls in the distance. You have no choice but to hide in the hay.The next day you awake from your slumber and look outside. The sun is rising and the nature around you thrives. A beautiful waterfall flows in the distance. Either side of the valley shine in the sunlight. You begin to emerge from the pile of hay, when you hear heavy footsteps and shouting in the distance. You run briskly, following the muddy path. It had obviously rained heavily during the night.

Eventually, you awake tied to a chair in a small, torch-lit, wooden room. You shout for help but a hand covers your mouth. Your eyes dart to the left and you realise that the owner of the hand is one of the province’s guards. He speaks in a low, threatening voice“You were caught red-handed. I knew you were trouble but, attacking a poor man’s cart? Pathetic.” Understanding how your actions could have been misjudged, you try to explain what really happened but they do not listen to your miscellaneous mumbling through the restraining rope. At that moment, two more guards barge into the room, carrying huge swords. As the door opens, you begin to hear a large crowd outside the room. You are released from the chair but immediately are grabbed by guards. They then drag you outside by the shoulders.Outside there is a crowd of peasants

throwing tomatoes and other random objects at you. You notice that it is a huge courtyard and before you is a large wooden platform with five nooses. You are viciously thrown up the stairs and your head is inserted into one of the five nooses. Below you is a wooden trap door. One of the guards tightens the rope when another asks:“Any last words?” You remain silent.“Very well then.”A man stands at the side of the platform holding a large, rusty lever. “You have been sentenced to death for murdering Thomas Brown and other crimes against the people of Odinia including theft, murder and fraud.”

End of Part One By George Tuckley

Adventures in Odinia-The F irst Scroll

The Island of TerrorJames was like any normal boy you know. He was fairly clever, enjoyed video games and a wide variety of sports. His mother was a local hairdresser and his father worked on a check out at the Co-Operative. He had a stroppy 18 year old sister named Holly who was famous in her secondary school for her inability to “KEEP QUIET” as her father would say

constantly. The family didn’t travel much and when James’ father announced that they were going to El Montina the street screamed with excitement. El Montina was a deserted island because of the volcano, El Diablo. The volcano erupted violently on an average of 4 times a month. They left the country from Heathrow Airport in London. The journey was a long and tiring 8 hours long. Exactly 7 hours and 37 minutes into the journey the turbulence caused fear for all the passengers. Plummeting towards the ground, the enormous passenger jet shook vigorously, surges of electrical waves pulsed through the wings. El Montina was in sight with El Diablo breaking the surface of the clouds, skimming the metal on the bottom of the jet as it swept past birds leading to the death of all of its passengers…Stunned by the force of the crash, James warily stumbled to his feet. Birds cawed in the distance and the roars of unknown beasts echoed through every crevice and canyon on the

island. Rustles in the bracken struck fear into his heart . His parents emerged from the fallen autumn leaves. “Where’s your sister, kiddo?” his father asked. Screaming.

By Gabriel Woolley




Tunnels: Book ReviewTunnels is by Roderick Gordon and is about a boy called Will. When his dad goes missing he discovers secrets he didn’t want to find out… EVER.

I enjoyed it a lot because I like reading mystery/adventure/action books because your on the edge of your seat all the time. This is my favourite book of all time and would highly recommend it to ages 11-15 year olds. I give it 5 STARS. It also has a sequel called DEEPER. I hope you enjoy it!

By Dane Westley

The Hunger Games: Book Review‘And may the odds be ever in your favor!’If adventure and romance stories are for you then this is the book you would want to read. Katniss Everdeen (16 years old) is plunged into a world of madness and pressure. When the ruins of North America are left, they remember their past by getting a young male and female (a tribute) from each district to fight to the death in an area until one is left, who then becomes a victor. Katniss is forced into the arena and has to stay alive with only her luck and love for Peeta Mallark to carry her through. Although the actual games don’t begin until chapter 10, you find out a lot about Katniss’ point of view about these deathly games. It gives good descriptions about the characters and about the places that they are in. The characters suit the style of the book. The novel was created when the author was channel surfing and she suddenly made up the idea of Katniss’ roller-coaster ride life. It shows that Suzanne Collins has a very adventurous imagination to create the thrilling story. Will she fall to her death or fall head over heels in love? Who will be last one standing? Rating out of 5 stars

The story in the book is portrayed differently to in the film. Some people may disagree with what I’m going to say… the film is not a good as the book. It misses out some of the most interesting and important details. I feel it doesn’t include a great deal of needed detail. I have to say though, Gary Ross and the crew did an amazing job at trying to include many of the thoughts and feelings that the characters are experiencing; as you can write three pages of thoughts but it will only translate as one minute on screen. However, overall the film is still outstanding and the makers have created an amazing film with the gruesome detail and the forest with its multitude of dangers. It will receive a high rating from us!Rating out of 5 stars

My Mischievous MammalsThe dog stared up at us with wide , watery , friendly eyes . Its paws were caked in mud and its fur looked like swamp vines . We called her over, feeling sorry for her. When we got home she was terrified of our every movement . We let her into a room which was meant to be our new dining room. We placed newspaper all over the floor and put a large fluffy blanket down for her to sleep on.

The next day my dad put posters all around the neighborhood that looked like this :A few days later, still no reply, the only thing there was left to do was to send her to a shelter...Or keep her , um …lets see… do I even have to think … no, keep her of course! I don’t want to lose her! She trusts us now. It seems that she has been beaten and then abandoned , she’s so thin. I can’t bare the thought that that might happen again!

3 months later It’s December the 15th Tia has settled in well. We named her that because I love a horse called Tia. She hasn’t chewed anything and seems to be house trained, she doesn’t even care that we have a cat. There’s only 10 day ‘till Christmas , I cant wait! Let’s see, today is Thursday and we’re putting the tree up on Sunday so that’s in four days. Sunday We’ve just put the tree up and Tia doesn’t seem that bothered—it must be normal for her.

Chrismas day Myself, my brother and my mom made our way downstairs to see Tia and our cat Sutty curled up in a ball together.

By Chloe Wootton

Lucie Smith & Megan Handley

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Teen on write linesHe may be just 19 years old but author Christopher Stokes already has ambitions of following in the footsteps of his inspiration JK Rowling. While sports may be considered a main hobby for many teenage boys, Chris from Walsall has a passion for writing books. He has already produced a 350-page novel and he now wants to pursue a career as a writer following his completion of his A-levels at Willenhall E-Act Academy. Chris, a local lad from Bentley started writing his book ‘The Distant Glimmer’ while in his second year of sixth form. Chris spent hours each day completing chapters for the story about a 1960s group of scientists who discover a new planet.

Chris has always loved the power of words. He first began writing short stories solely for his pleasure and realised he was quite good at writing and expressing himself. During his time at Willenhall, Chris always enjoyed his English lessons as it gave him the chance to express himself on paper, but also found that compared to others his age he could write more extensively and could string words together with ease.

The completion of his time at Willenhall E-Act Academy ended with him achieving 7 GCSE’s at various grades including B’s and C’s in a plethora of subjects including English, Maths and Science.

He then continued onto Post 16 at Willenhall E-Act Academy, whilst at Willenhall he continued to write more complex and in depth pieces of work. He found himself writing many more pages of work than those around him and was even praised by teachers and visitors to the school such as Roland Rotherham, who is also an author. Chris’s main goal is to try and get people to enjoy reading his books as much as he enjoyed writing them. His achievements so far have been credited to Willenhall E-Act Academy for the opportunities they gave Chris along with the support, and most importantly for the high quality education.

Willenhall students shared the benefit of reading on World Book Day in a distinctly 21st Century way. Of course, Reading is a great way of taking your focus off your everyday troubles and worries for a while as it transports you to places, dream worlds and cultures that you may know little about or you were not even aware existed. Sometimes the stresses of modern day living shrink our awareness onto a narrow band of focus of attention and away from the rest of the world in all its glory, mystery and things to discover.

Books can stimulate and excite your imagination and curiosity, everything that exists and has ever existed is documented and can be found in a book, reading can teach you new skills, idea’s and give you a new positive outlook on life. It is a form of relaxation while at the same time it can stimulate your mind, reading can help you to feel better, books can be our teachers, mentors and inspirations .You can learn and better your life just by reading a book, authors and good writers can take you to places and imaginary worlds where no other form can rival.

World Book Day


Spring Edition

Documents

Transcript of Spring Edition