THE KNOLE

WELCOME

IN THIS IS

SUE!

18Kent P

ride Awards

Students’ achievements

celebrated

14Kent C

hef

Food Tech student C

harlotte

O’Connor shows h

er talent

10Shelby Newstead

Fundraising re

port from our m

ost insp

iratio

nal student

05Much Ado About N

othing

AS English Lite

rature students

travel to

London’s West

End

ISSUE 8: December 2012

“ Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go.”

Ofsted Success

The judgement is Good and rapidly improving after only two years of opening.

The governors and I were delighted and really proud of all the students and staff as I took feedback from Her Majesty’s Inspector and his team when they judged Knole Academy as good and better in all aspects of what we do. Almost 80% of teaching and learning was judged to be good or outstanding and the other 20% showed no inadequacies. 

Behaviour for learning was judged as good or better as was leadership and management and the achievement of students. 

The curriculum meets the needs of all abilities, including the grammar streams and the least able; the extra- curricular aspects of the academy were judged as ‘extraordinary’, with the social and cultural aspects being outstanding; attendance is above the national average.

Parents and students showed great confidence in the academy in all aspects of the life of the academy. We will be outstanding very shortly. 

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to complete a questionnaire. 

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Best wishes, Mary Boyle

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Unfortunately the show ended but that wasn’t the end. The cast came back out from backstage and answered some of our difficult questions and one boy plus one girl went onto the stage to try on one of the fantastic masks. We are all very thankful that they came to our school and we will hopefully see another performance of this standard very soon.

Ethan Constantinou and Nathan Manning, 7SA

On 22nd November, we performed our production of ‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ by Denise Deegan. We had been rehearsing once a week since September to bring this to an audience.

Working on a two act play was a fantastic opportunity and an experience we will remember. We usually do musicals which are great fun but getting to work on a dramatic play and working with year 10 students was a nice change.

The performance allowed us to really explore and sustain a character throughout a two act play. Also reaching out to an audience as narrators allowed us to break the barrier we are usually supposed to maintain. We hope they enjoyed our offering as much as we enjoyed sharing it.

The proceeds of the performance have been donated to Room to Read and we are pleased to be able to help this charity to the tune of £167.39.

Daisy Bell and Molly Burcham, Yr 11 GCSE Drama students

Amazingly only one person created all the sound effects and music for the play. The remaining four members of the cast played all the other parts. In the show all the cast apart from one had these spectacular, creative but a bit freaky masks.

The story was about a little puppet that was carved by a poor old man out of a block of wood. The puppet had one wish, and that was to become a real boy and help his papa become rich. In his journey to go to school he made some wrong decisions. In the end it all worked out for the best as Pinocchio found his dad and did well at school. Pinocchio’s wish came true; he became a real boy as well as earning money for his papa.

ROOM tO REadAfter a long campaign to raise this impressive sum of money so that children in a school in Zambia can have their own place to learn to read, as we go to press, we think we have done it.

£12,000 by 12 o’clock on 12.12.12

The campaign has includedconcerts, cake sales and collections..discos, dances and donations..sweets, stalls and swaps...

A big thank you to all who have donated their time, money, effort and support for this first major Knole Academy campaign.

We will now be able to establish a link with the school in Zambia which is receiving our money and plan a visit with a group of students and staff.

Congratulations. £12,000 IS IN OUR SIGHTS

PINOCCHIOOn the 20th of November 2012 the whole of year 7 had the privilege of watching an extraordinary show called ‘Pinocchio’. Five people from the cast came to our school and put on a unique performance.

daIsy PuLLs It Off

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tHE HIstORy Of PaNtOMIME

as ENgLIsH LItERatuRE tRIP On the 4th October, our group of AS English literature students travelled to the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End to see the RSC’s Indian production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Gone was the boring ‘bard’ acting with pantaloon-wearing upper-class performers. Instead, this was a chequered shirt and chinos with Vans and Ray Bans version. The fresh and dynamic cast of well-known actors (most notably, Goodness Gracious Me star, Meera Syal as Beatrice) and lesser-known actors, delved bravely into the world of Shakespeare and emerged as a brilliant, Shakespearian-tongued cast, doing more than justice to his much-loved comedy.

Director Iqbal Khan had chosen to set the play in modern day Delhi, which worked particularly well with the story of the play’s two sets of lovers, one madly in love and the other in complete denial. The plot’s arranged marriage and the whole issue of conventional gender roles and social relations were chillingly relevant to contemporary international audiences.

This was a really feel-good, all-singing and all- Bhangra-dancing production, which I would most definitely recommend to anyone wanting a good laugh and a fantastic trip out.

Helen Ramage, Year 12 English Literature

On the 13th of November year 7 students had a very special assembly. Three people from the brilliant show ‘Aladdin’ at the Stag Theatre came to our school to tell us all about the history of pantomime.

At first, Silly Wishy Billy Washy and his mum Widow Twanky performed a funny piece of acting including getting pies in the face, playing games and dancing to ‘Gangnam Style’ up and down the stage.

Although we were enjoying ourselves a lot we also learnt a couple of facts about the history of pantomime as well. One of the things we learned was that a long time ago only men were allowed to be actors, so when there was a part for a woman to play, a man had to play it. Now when we watch a pantomime and a man is dressed up as a woman we all know why.

Just before it ended a young lady walked on stage wanting to audition for the part of the princess in the story ‘Aladdin’, so she sang a song. It was outstandingly beautiful. Fortunately her song was a success and she got the part as the princess.

Just to top it off we played one last game. The auditorium got split into two parts. Whatever side clapped the loudest won.

It was a hard competition and in the end we were clapping our hands, stamping our feet and we were even clapping our vocals. Finally the game ended and one of the sides won, it was fantastic and we didn’t want it to end.

Unfortunately after that exciting game it did come to an end. It was the end of the assembly, which we all enjoyed very much.

Hopefully we will be having another fabulous assembly like that very soon.

Ethan Constantinou, 7SA

This term students have been invited to submit independent art work for an exciting exhibition. The ‘Art Challenge’ has been designed to provide students with an opportunity to showcase work they have produced outside of lessons which reflects their personal interests and skills. A wide variety of media and themes have been used in the exciting pieces which will be on display in the gallery during the winter term. In addition to this, students have been invited to attend lunch clubs to work collaboratively to produce imaginative and experimental outcomes inspired by texture and mark making. These large scale creative pieces will be displayed alongside the individual submissions. All students who have taken part should be very proud of their efforts and will be rewarded with house points.

aRt CHaLLENgE

daNCE CaPtaINsCongratulations to the students who have been selected as this year’s Dance Captains. Dance Captains will be working together in dance to organise our dance show in 2013. These students also run clubs and work as a team to offer opportunities in dance for other students.

Congratulations to the Cascade Knole Junior and Senior dance companies who took to the stage to present a modern twist on the tale of Cinderella for the Cascade Cracker show this year on Sunday 9th December.

They performed to an outstanding level.

We will be holding an audition on Mon 14th January 3.45pm – 4.45pm for dancers who are interested in joining our Cascade companies after school every week. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are gifted in dance to improve their technique and work with local dance artists.

The following students have been selected:

Lucy Smith 8KD Lewis Pethig 8TNTaylor Manville 8MWLucy Gill 8KDDarcy Wolfe Jones 8MWLucy Uden 9KPGabrielle Morgan 9KBChloe Hull 9RSHollie Webb 9CGConnie Mae Jordan 9MGDominique Gratwick 10SDGemma Ellis 10VHZoe Maxwell 10VHAislinn Mills 10VHElla Zeki 10VHSophie Butters 11LC

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On Sunday 11November, the Knole Minstrels ventured south to the village of Newenden, once a thriving market town and port in Kent, to perform at St Peter’s church for Remembrance Sunday.

It was one of those beautiful sunny days without a cloud in the sky and the location of Newenden was equally beautiful hidden away in the stunning Kent countryside.

The day was organised by Mr Dawson, Knole’s singing tutor, who lives in Newenden having asked if the minstrels would support the church with it’s fund raising by performing a concert on this special day. A local nursery, Gardenscape, agreed to sponsor the event which included a lunch at the local 16th century free house and tea and cakes at ‘Chez Dawson’ donated by the Friends of St Peter’s.

The afternoon was spent rehearsing and the concert ran from 5 – 6pm to a packed and hugely appreciative audience. Following a rousing National Anthem and the sweetest opening number by Fin Mowen, there were smiles all around as the choir opened their repertoire with the theme tune to the Vicar of Dibley.

The programme was an elegant mix of old favourites, soloists, readings and a very appropriate composition by Jess Booty entitled ‘War’ which brought a tear to the eye. The atmosphere was both reverent and uplifting and the final applause seemed to go on and on.

There were special thanks given to Mr Grant on keyboard, Mrs Dawson on violin, Mrs Boyle and Mr Dawson as co musical directors and the Revd. Jacques Desrosiers not to mention the choir members and their families for their support and Mr White for driving there and back in the academy coach.

Mr Derrick

yOuNg MusICIaNs’ fEstIvaL Of REMEMbRaNCE

On the 19th of October at 7am students and teachers from Knole academy left Sevenoaks for a four day trip to Pontoise, France. We arrived at about 11.30 am in Calais then drove all the way to a little village that is twinned with Sevenoaks, called Pontoise.

Our first visit was to Ecole St Louis in the centre of Pontoise. We didn't quite know what to expect until we actually got there. It turned out to be a little Catholic primary school. We spoke to the children and performed a song before making our way to the hotel.

Day two was a busy one; first we visited a local monument which was comprised of twelve pillars to represent the twelve months of the year. Whilst at the attraction there were some locals doing their daily tai chi exercises and they invited us to join them.

That evening, the Minstrels sang at a concert in Pontoise for the members of the Friends of Pontoise and their friends. This concert was well received and we were all treated to a buffet supper afterwards, with home-made potato and cream pie, cheese, pizza, fruit and lots of lovely cakes and puddings.

On day three and we visited the famous Monet house and gardens at Giverny in the morning. After lunch it was back to Pontoise for a tour of the town, including the large network of cellars underneath the town – scary stuff. This was followed by a concert in the church of Notre Dame.

Then it was back to the hotel for the traditional cabaret with the very nasty judges, Mrs Dawson, our coach driver, Bill and Mrs Boyle. Their comments were cutting and funny. The boys were overall winners – Charles, Richard and Finn gave us a creative comedy act.  

Day four was spent in Paris. Amongst the experiences were a boat trip on the Seine, a visit to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, a trip in the Paris metro and some shopping time (one hour and the only time we had for shopping).

We had a great time, and were exhausted when we got back to school just after10pm. We would like to thank all of the staff for taking us on such an exciting trip.

PONtOIsE fRENCH tRIP 2012 the Students’ Perspective…

Health and Social Care Cambridge Technicals

LEvEL 2

Every Wednesday I go to my work placement in an elderly care home. When I first went I was scared and not sure what I had to do and now I have grown in confidence and my communication skills have improved. I am part of the team that co-ordinates activities for the elderly clients. I assist the co-ordinator to do games, puzzles, bingo and memory activities with the clients. This week I am leading the bingo session and I need to make sure I speak clearly, slowly and loudly as many of the clients have hearing problems. Completing these activities is fun for the clients and they enjoy being given individual attention. There are benefits for me too and they are increased confidence, my communication skills have improved, I am experiencing being a valued member of a team and I have the opportunity of getting work experience.

Charles Prescott Year 13

A2 Health and Social CareThis term we have been completing a research assignment on underage drinking and we chose this topic because often articles in newspapers and information on the television highlight that there is a problem.

We investigated the age children started to drink, what they drank and how often they consumed alcohol. We are going to write up a report that will show our findings. This research investigation will be useful for my future because I want to attend university and I may have to complete a research unit of work during my course.

We are now working for our social trends exam in January. We are researching child protection and Mrs Collinson was our guest speaker and she explained to us the local authority’s role in identifying and caring for children who are at risk. We will also be researching the effects on society of increased number of elderly people, different types of families and homelessness amongst families and individuals.

Zhulen Ali Year 13

HEaLtH & sOCIaL CaRE

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The mathematics department had cause to celebrate this August after a 10% increase in the number of A*-Cs gained at GCSE by year 11 cohort. A great deal of work was put in by the students and staff alike, with revision sessions and exam booster lessons during lunch times and after school along with intensive sessions held the day before the exam. Exam technique is also crucial when tackling a maths paper and time was spent answering past papers and highlighting common errors or misconceptions. It is important to read the question carefully several times and decide exactly what is required; not to spend too long on any one question and of course to write answers clearly with the appropriate use of units (metres, litres, degrees etc).

Most important of all is any working out you have done. The majority of marks in a maths exam GCSE exam are given in the working out stage. Clear precise working, showing a logical progression through the question will gain all the marks available and sometimes the correct answer with no working will not be awarded a single mark.

So repeat after me “Don’t miss out the working out”.

The amount of literacy used in mathematics is sometimes underestimated and therefore can be overlooked. Mathematics is often described as a language in its own right, however the subject is underpinned and communicated by the effective use of literacy.

The new specification, which will be tested during the year 11 exams in 2012, has an increased requirement for students to demonstrate their grasp of both numeracy and literacy.

All students whatever their level need to have a strong grasp of the lexicon and terminology used in all areas of Mathematics along with a clear understanding of the different forms of questions asked in the GCSE examination.

In the November exam there was a good example of the type of question which relies heavily on literacy and requires students to know the meanings of the words used to describe probability:

Help you child improve by ensuring they know the spelling and meaning of these SHAPE WORDS.

area perimeter isosceles scalene equilateral parallelogram

polygon quadrilateral perpendicular parallel vertical horizontal

regular reflex obtuse acute More words to follow in the next issue

MatHEMatICsThe maths team held a twilight training session in October for the staff of Knole Academy. The subject was numeracy and staff travelled from room to room where they were treated to master classes on pie charts, multiplication methods, averages, measurement. Although, a little apprehensive to start with a great deal of fun was had and feedback from staff was very positive. Mrs Walton was awarded a coveted Maths badge for her outstanding contribution to the evening.

Cheaper than TescoPlease remember we sell scientific calculators for £4.50 (over £7.00 in a certain large supermarkets) and GCSE revision discs for £3.00.

See Mr Cason to purchase your bargain.

sCIENCE CLubWe have had a fantastic first term in science club. We have had a go at all sorts of experiments such as; some light engineering with advanced meccano with mixed results and making our own electricity and looking at solubility to make our gorgeous chromatography bags.

We also made a non Newtonian fluid, cinder toffee and honey comb. In the coming weeks we are looking into scientific Christmas presents, secret writing, making sherbet and getting creative by upcycling old books and science equipment.

We also welcomed our newest additions Alby and Charlie the guinea pigs. Unfortunately Alby had an on-going illness and is no longer with us. We hope to get Charlie a new friend very soon. Science club members have been ensuring that their coats were well groomed and that they were very comfortable in their new home.

Science club is open for all year 7 students on a Monday at 1.10pm. Enthusiastic year 8 and 9 students are encouraged to come and help run activities.

Are you a science star? Each term we will be awarding science star awards for students that have shown good attainment, effort or progress in their lessons, so keep up the good work science enthusiasts.

The collective term ‘plastering and dry-lining’ covers a range of different skills that are employed by skilled workers in the construction industry to provide a finished surface for final decoration. Plastering requires a lot of practice in order to develop the techniques involved in producing a finished surface. Plastering is a very technical skill using a hand trowel that has to be mastered in order to achieve an acceptable finish. The students have focused on exploring the basic skills and materials involved in plastering and dry-lining.

Students constructed stud walls in the old sixth form common room at Knole East and dry lined the walls with plasterboard. Finally the students plastered the newly erected walls. The students did a very good job considering it was their first attempt. Plastering is one of the messier occupations in the construction industry and several students ended up looking like they had had mud baths.

yEaR 11 CONstRuCtION autuMN tERM

HOMEWORK CLubMaking school work fun with a little help…

Is your brain puzzling over homework you don’t understand?

Are you constantly interrupted by your younger brother or sister?

We have the perfect solution for you. Our homework club at The Knole Academy is open every lunch time in E9. The homework club is well equipped with laptops and stationery items that you can borrow whilst working. It is run by the inclusion team and it provides a quiet study place and a chance to work with learning support assistants, one to one.

Students who study at homework club find it both rewarding and useful. If you complete five days of attendance you will receive house points and exciting prizes, so don’t forget to sign in when you come along.

Homework can be fun, working alongside a friend, with some extra help when you need it.We are looking forward to seeing you there.

11. Evens Unlikely Impossible Certain Likely

Use a word from the box which best describes each of the following events.

a When you throw an ordinary dice you get a number greater than 1.....................................(1)

b When you throw an ordinary coin you get a head.....................................(1)

c When you take out a counter from a bag that contains only blue counters you get a red counter................................(1)

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Behind the Fundraising

Members of Knole Interact from year 7 to 13 have proved their pedigree as fundraisers. They have spent a lot of time this term planning and running fundraising activities for the Knole Academy campaign for Room to Read which is drawing to a close on 12.12.12. They have come up with some very original ideas and developed their teamwork skills. Dominique Gratwick and Niamh Brophy were particular stars when they gave up an entire Sunday to help out at the Cyclo Event on Sunday 10 September, cooking and serving pancakes to raise money for Room to Read. They spent several hours working in beautiful late summer sunshine and learnt about fundraising the hard way.

Knole Interact Club has enjoyed the support of Sevenoaks Amherst Rotary Club who sponsored it in the first place and have donated some funds to help it off the ground. They continue to mentor our club to help us make it grow.

With over 20 members, 12 of them enjoyed the outing to Carroty Wood Activity Centre in Tonbridge for the high ropes course. This was an excellent way for all members to really get to know each other. All the students were very supportive and encouraging of each other as well as rather competitive. There will be another outing planned for the Spring Term.

Any student or member of staff wishing to become involved in Knole Interact should simply come along on Thursday lunchtimes to T2.

Yes your eyes do not deceive you, that is Miss Marlio and Miss Nimmo sporting some excellent lycra trousers. Both members of staff are raising money for the new school charity, which is Help for Heroes. This year Knole pledged to raise £12,000 for Room to Read. As we have come to the end of the year, and the money for Room to Read has been raised, Knole has decided

that 2013 would be the year that the students get involved with the very worth while charity Help for Heroes.

The charity supports wounded veterans who have suffered from some sort of injury while fighting for our country. The students are keen to get involved with the new charity, and before the term is up a number of events will be happening in school to raise money.

Apart from the events run in school, Miss Marlio and Miss Nimmo are also completing personal challenges to raise money for Help for Heroes. Miss Marlio is participating in her first London Marathon in April 2013; and Miss Nimmo is embarking on an incredible journey where she will be cycling from Paris to London (padded shorts are definitely going to be a must Miss Nimmo) in May 2013. As always, the students of Knole Academy are very pleased to be supporting not only this fantastic charity, but are also getting behind Miss Marlio and Miss Nimmo in their personal endeavors.

Please help us to support Help for Heroes and if you are feeling particularly generous this festive season you are welcome to visit their individual fundraising pages to donate to them.

www.virginmoneygiving.com/marliorunsthemarathon

www.bmycharity.org/carolineniimmo2013

Many thanks in advance, Miss Marlio and Miss Nimmo

sHELby NEWstEad KNOLE INtERaCt CLub Sixth Form student who is an inspiration to young cancer sufferers

Shelby Newstead, currently studying A Levels in Art, Travel and Tourism and Creative Media Studies has proved to be an inspiration beyond her years. More than £40,000 was raised in one night by the young lady from Culverstone who overcame cancer herself at only nine months old.

Since then, Shelby has inspired friends and family to help raise money for other children suffering from life-threatening diseases.

On Saturday 17 November, Shelby held her latest fundraising event which over 400 people attended and an unbelievable £43,000 was raised through various corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, business donations as well as the silent auction and a live auction.

There was a very special moment when 1970’s hitmakers Heatwave – best known for Boogie Nights, Always and Forever and The Grove Line- appeared on stage.

Shelby said “The music was incredible. Heatwave made an appearance as they’re appearing at the Orchard Theatre and heard about what we were doing. They are fresh off their tour of America and I had the honour of introducing them live”

Shelby was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer, and on March 27 1996, a large tumour was removed from her chest at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

Her condition prompted family and friends to set up the Friends of Shelby Newstead charity, which has raised funds for the hospital and Demalza hospice.

Incredibly, more than £250,000 has been raised over the years.

Shelby said, “I am so lucky. I’ve just passed my driving test, but I know there are so many other, less fortunate children out there who continue to suffer, so my mission continues.”

Mr Turner and the rest of the Sixth Form are proud to have Shelby amongst us. Her attitude is truly an inspiration to others.

CaNCER REsEaRCH uK Emma Foster, year 12, is planning a parachute jump to raise money for Cancer Research UK. She, with a group of year 12 business studies students, needs to raise £400 by January. You can donate to Emma when sixth formers visit forms during PSCHE.

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YEAR 8 GEOGRAPHYStudents in year 8 have been studying the ‘Restless Earth’; volcanoes and earthquakes. They were set the extended homework task of building their own volcano. Many of the results are breathtakingly good. The usual fantastic array of volcano cakes were present and shared out at lunch. One of them had actually been baked in such a creative way that when it was cut open it showed a volcano cross section complete with the layers of ash and pumice. The winner had to be the unique and ingenious way in which one student had fitted a battery operated motor and exploded hurling “volcanic bombs” out of the crater.

We travelled to the Scarborough coast on Sunday 21st of October where we completed coastal field work techniques for our coursework. On Monday 22nd of October we went to Scarborough sea front where we carried out questionnaires, field sketches and other techniques that helped us with our studies. We were also given free time to explore the tourist attractions in Scarborough. Throughout the day we continued to look at coastal features within the area on the south and north bay. We arrived back at our hut where we had dinner prepared by Mr Foster. We then reflected on our day through extra work and preparation for the next day.On Tuesday 23rd of October we woke up in the cold to visit coastal erosion features around Mappleton it was a good experience as we were shown cliff slumping and how they are protecting vulnerable coastal areas. We then went back to the north bay in Scarborough where we continued our field techniques on the freezing cold beaches. Even thought the weather was not great we made the most of it and enjoyed our time there.

On Wednesday 24th October we travelled to Sheffield where we looked at the recent redevelopment including Meadow Hall and the trams. It was an experience well worth seeing. We then had a guide around Sheffield where we saw different landmarks including the universities, museum and shops. In the evening we all went for a meal and then went on to bowling. After the fun in Sheffield we travelled to the Peak District where we stayed for the night before we travelled home on the Thursday.

We all really enjoyed the trip as it gave us an overview of coastal management and helped us majorly with our coursework. We also had a lot of fun together and it will be a trip to remember fieldwork techniques for the future.

Katie Whittlesea & Katherine Staples Year 12

SCARBOROUGH TRIP

One of our activities was to cook our own lunch using ingredients produced on the farm.

We made a lentil soup with flatbread and made our own organic meatballs from meat produced on the farm. We were able to grind our own flour to make our flatbread breads and we even made our own cheese using lemons to give the cheese a unique taste. Whilst working in the kitchen we separated our waste into recyclable and compostable waste and this helped us to gain an appreciation of recycling issues.

In the afternoon we were able to view the cow sheds where the dairy cows lived and we gained a better understanding of how the cattle are looked after. We even viewed the slurry pool to see how the waste from the farm is collected and reused.

The farm has a large organic vegetable plot – we were able to see what could be produced in the garden and discussed what we could grow in our school garden.

In the garden we looked at all the colours and smells of all the different plants and we made a sticky collage on cardboard to record the colours of the garden and we will be able to compare these through the different seasons.

We saw rescued battery hens and this helped us to think about animal welfare issues and consider food choices available to us as consumers.We also carried out a food miles activity, considering where different food items have come from. This taught us to think about the impact of the food we eat everyday and consider what choices and alternatives we have as food consumers. We looked at the diets of families in different

countries and analysed their weekly food intake. We considered the effect of processed foods and the impact that it has on our health.

My favourite part of the day was looking around the farm because it was really interesting and I was intrigued by everything that was going on. I had never made meatballs, soup or bread before and it was really useful to learn how to make new food products.

We had an enjoyable day and learnt a great deal.

Amelia Bamber Year 10

fOOd tECHNOLOgy vIsIt tO bORE PLaCE faRM

Year 10 students found the visit to Sevenoaks Fire Station both educational and very interesting. Students were allowed to dress up in the official fire fighting uniform (Robyn Miles), while others experienced using the most up to date fire fighting equipment. Station officers took the students through all the qualities and skills required to join the Fire Brigade.

The year 11 caving trip to Somerset in July may seem a long time ago but those who went remember it all too well. The 22 students were subjected to some of the worst weather we have ever experienced on this annual year 11 trip. Many of us did not seem to dry out for the whole six days.

Mr Cason, Mrs Walton and Mrs MacGauley tried to keep everyone’s spirits high with a full cooked breakfast every morning before setting out caving and exploring Cheddar Gorge or visiting Wookey hole or Durdle Dor. When the rain did stop it was windy instead but we all managed to go fossil hunting in Lyme Regis and everyone found a good selection of ammonites and belemnites. The sun did come out briefly when we visited Glastonbury. We climbed to the top of the tor before enjoying the unfamiliar heat in the Chalice Well gardens. We stayed one night in Portland just opposite the Olympic village and saw various teams arriving and training. Mrs Walton did not want to leave.

The weather tried to ruin the trip but we still did everything we planned to do and for the first time we saw dolphins leaping through the waves whipped up by the wind just off the coast at Portland Bill. Magical.

This year’s trip leaves on 13th July. It is an experience of a lifetime. If you are in year 11 don’t miss out. See Mr. Cason for details. The sun might even shine this year.

CavINg IN sOMERsEt

PubLIC sERvICEsSevenoaks Fire Station I Joined Knole academy in September and on the 15th

October I went on my first school trip with Knole Academy to Bore Place which is a working organic dairy farm.

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Food ClubThe Food Technology Department’s lunchtime food club has proved to be extremely popular. Students are having fun whizzing up fabulous lunchbox treats and other goodies which they can then share with their friends. Working as a team students piped beautiful cupcakes with butter icing and sold them for our school charity ‘Room to Read’ raising £21.00 in 25 minutes.The club’s next challenge is to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in our school garden so students can gain an understanding of where our food comes from. We aim to turn our harvest into scrumptious delights. If you would like to join the club please speak to Mrs McGauley or Mrs Woodruff.

yEaR 10 fOOd tECHNOLOgy studENts HavE taLENt

Both of the year 10 groups have shown an active interest in their new course which looks at five broad curriculum areas:

• TheFamily

• Pregnancy

• Diet and health care of the child

• Development of the child

• Support for parent and child.

10A have been set a number of homework tasks, one of which was for each student to design their own baby book which contained information about their date and place of birth and other facts such as birth weight and length. In addition to this, some students also added developmental milestones such as when they first stood up or walked a few steps.

The books were all lovingly created in a variety of formats and included photographs, stickers and even a birth certificate. Thank you for your efforts – they were a delight to read.

Mrs V Sutcliffe

gCsE CHILd dEvELOPMENt

Several groups of year 7 students have completed some research into their family trees leading to the creation of family trees. This has involved students talking to their relatives to find out what they know about the family and some have used the genealogy resources that are available on the internet. Below some students have written about their experiences finding out about their families’ pasts.

Felicia MillsI made my family tree with green tissue paper and papier-mâché so that it looked like a proper tree. I found out about most of my relations from my nan and granddad. My sister also helped me a lot and it was really fun to find out about my ancestry and presenting it in an unusual way.

Jessica JefferyIt was really fun doing my family tree because I learned all about my family. Not just the people who are still alive. I had to ring my nan lots to the names of everyones’ parents and then their parents’ names as well. The names were very different from now – they were not what you would have today. I also loved doing my family tree because I loved learning the last names of old family members to see how the names had changed. It was the best piece of work since I have been at Knole Academy.

Sarah JennerMaking my family tree was great fun. I found some of my family names from other family members. I got to see all my nan’s and grandad’s and mum and dad’s family members and what they were called. I really enjoyed this piece of work because I learned about what they were like and what life they lived. Some of the names in my family are really different to the names now. This piece of work was one of the best pieces of work I have done at Knole Academy.

Harry BuntonI subscribed to Ancestry.co.uk to help me with my family tree. I also found objects from a long time ago. I was really excited about finding out about my long lost relatives but my main objective was to find out about my granddad. He died before I was born. I managed to go back to the 1700s which was really interesting. I had fun finding out about my past.

Harrison NorthIt was quite hard to find the information but it was fun. If you want to get a lot of information you have to pay a lot of money but I still managed to get back to 1897 without paying anything! I found out about Oliver Older who died on 16th October 1916 in France. He was in the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) regiment and he was a groom at Sevenoaks House. It was really interesting finding this out.

yEaR 7 INdEPENdENt REsEaRCH PROjECt

Kent ChefWe are delighted that Charlotte O’Connor in Year 10 was selected as one of the Kent Chef eight finalists.

Students taking part in the competition had to devise and write a main-course recipe to serve two people using seasonal autumn ingredients and produce that is widely grown, produced and reared in Kent. The entry had to feature some original input from the competitor. Year 10 Knole students who took part in the competition during food lessons had great fun inventing new and novel recipes.

Brilliant Bread Inspired by the Great British Bake Off, Liberty Brown in year 10 set herself a challenge of making an 8 strand plaited loaf during her food technology lesson. Sheer determination and her amazing skills at following an extremely complicated number pattern resulted in an outstanding bread product.

Well done, Liberty.

Halloween CupcakesYear 10 students started their GCSE Food Technology Course by completing a cake module. They explored different cake making methods and finishing techniques. Working in teams students produced amazing designs showing flair, imagination and creativity.

16 17

On the 9th of November 2012 I attended a business breakfast in the Sevenoaks Stag Theatre’s Plaza Suite

with Mr Derrick. When I arrived I was greeted by many local people who work within Sevenoaks. Some of them were from the town council, Mayor and Mayoress Richard and Rachel Parry and many managers from local businesses that are situated around Sevenoaks town, for example Mark Whyman from Sencio Community Leisure also Carl Dixon from Specsavers.

There was Graham Webb who is a Kent Ambassador and Owen Hunnam from Vine publishing Ltd. I spoke to many Sevenoaks councillors and gained a lot of valuable advice on my career options.

We then had a welcoming speech by Cllr Stephen Arnold. This was then followed by a speech from Michael Fallon MP and minister for business and enterprise, which I gained a lot from. Throughout this speech there were many people at the meeting asking questions on many subjects. One of them was a local entrepreneur who runs a small market stall in Sevenoaks town; she asked for advice on legislation relating to discrimination of pregnant women regarding maternity.

This was very useful to me as it related hugely to coursework I am currently studying within my A level business studies. After this speech I had to leave to be back at school for morning lessons however I have gained a lot from this experience including the rather tasty bacon roll.

Hayley Palmer Year 13

busINEss bREaKfast

On Monday 15th October the Hair and Beauty students went to Salon International, the big hair trade show in London where hairdressers from all over the world meet, learn new techniques and see fashion trends for next season.

It was a very inspiring day. The students and staff gained a lot from it as the industry is forever changing.

During our visit we saw Zoe Irwin who styles for editorial magazines as well as working in a London salon. On the Tuesday morning she was booked to do a photo shoot with Little Mix last year’s X Factor winners.

On Wednesday 6th November we had Dennis Mehmed come to Knole Academy hair salon to demonstrate wet shaving. Dennis has a successful barbers shop in London, and started his career as a young man working with his father and then progressing onto college. It was a very interesting, informative and hand shaking morning shaving balloons.

LONdON duNgEONsThe Year 13 students had been planning the trip as part of their event manage-ment coursework where they have to fundraise all of the money for the trip and then take on the responsibility of running the trip.

Overall it was a fantastic day enjoyed by all of the year 8 students which was a credit to the year 13 students organisation and leadership skills.

Ms Croucher

In the London Dungeons students explored Britain’s dark history starting in the labyrinth of lost souls, through Fleet Street to Mrs Lovett’s pie shop and ending at the gallows where we were sentenced as heretics by Bloody Mary.

On Thursday 15th November the year 13 Travel and Tourism class took twelve year 8 students to the London Dungeons.

HaIR & bEauty

Congratulations to the 402 students who achieved 100% attendance during Term 1. They have all been awarded certificates and it is a sure sign that they enjoy coming to school and are making good progress.

Students are also given a raffle ticket each week they have 100% attendance and at the end of term a draw is made for each year group. Knole Academy positively supports good attendance as it is a proven fact that high attenders are high achievers.

The 6 winners of the £10 voucher are the following students:

The table below shows just how many lessons a student misses if their attendance is poor. Even someone achieving 95% attendance, which is the government’s minimum expectation, misses 50 lessons a year. If that occurs from year 7 to 11 that means they miss 250 lessons, which they can never get back.

If your attendance is good –well done, keep it up. If your attendance is below 95% you must improve it. Speak to your tutor or Year Leader if you have a genuine problem and they will support you towards raising your percentage.

A reminder that Fixed Penalty fines for unauthorised holidays or persistent unauthorised absence (10 sessions or more in a term) has now risen to £120 per adult, reduced to £60 if paid within 28 days.

gOOd attENdaNCE

The LRC run a book club for all years who are invited to take away and read selected books in respect of the above award. All books are

shortlisted and split into Young Adult and Teen categories. The books are reviewed and all students involved are asked

to attend a fun evening in March at

YEAR 7Luke Reeve

YEAR 8George Witfield Walters

YEAR 9Molly Cope

YEAR 10James Strudwick

YEAR 11Sam Smith

SIXTH FORMPolly Beer

a special Awards ceremony where they will have a chance to listen to and meet Authors concerned. The winning book will be announced at the ceremony.

This year the theme is The Book Came First – From Page to Screen.

Children are required by law to attend school 190 days per year. The Government states that every pupil’s attendance should be at least 95%. Being LATE after registration will also LOWER your attendance.

How do YOU measure up?

West Kent Themed Book Awards 2012

1918

On Thursday 11 October 2012 Rimini Stone (Ex-year 13) and Lydia Clifford Baines (year 9) were invited to attend the Sevenoaks district council gold medal celebration event at the Thistle Hotel Brands Hatch. The occasion was to celebrate the achievements of the gold medal winners from all of the Sevenoaks district schools and the success of The Kent School Games.

PRIDE is the adopted term for the Olympic and Paralympic values and stands for:

Personal Excellence Respect & Friendship

Inspiration Determination & Courage

Equality

The efforts of all the students were warmly received by the audience of proud parents, teachers and VIPs. Rimini and Lydia were able to hold the olympic torch and were treated to an inspirational speech by paralympian Tim Prendergast, who spoke passionately of the importance of perseverance through adversity in order to realise your dreams and ambitions.

He spoke of keeping a sense of humour and made everyone laugh when he showed a clip of the moment when he won his gold medal and went to ‘high five’ a fellow competitor only to be ignored – forgetting momentarily that he was also blind.

Both students were chosen to receive gold medals by a panel of Knole student council members; Rimini for outstanding service to the school over seven years culminating in her role as Knole ambassador, and Lydia for her courage and determination and cheerful disposition after years of hospital visits and numerous operations.

Silver medals have been awarded to Anna Regelous and Kelan Ryan with bronze medals going to Ilona Guelfand and Ellie Zeki.

Over 30 other students have received PRIDE certificates and we congratulate them all with the expectation that as the Olympic year of 2012 comes to a close, the legacy of those who have acted as role models will continue for years to come.

Mr Derrick

My name is Sharna Dutrieux and I’m 14 years old. I started playing golf when I was just 8 years old. When I was 9 years old I entered the ‘Wee Wonders’ and gained a place in the 9 -10 years old category. I won and had a chance to go to America. The following year I played in The European Championship in Scotland and I came 7th overall.

I was the first British girl to win in the 10-11 year old category. When I was 12 years old, I played in the ‘Trailblazers’ competition and won the 11-12 category. I then went on to play for my county

in 2011 in Southampton. Later in the same year, I played in the English girls under 13’s in Milton Keynes. This year I played in English girls under 15’s and I came 33rd and I made the cut.

My gOLfINg LIfE

The Duke of Edinburgh season finished with quite a bang at the beginning of September with two groups of students from Knole Academy successfully completing their Bronze awards with flying colours. The two groups, made up of students ranging from year 10 to year 12 worked together as a great team, both in their separate groups, as well as joining together for some evening entertainment.

The students set off on Friday night accompanied by Miss Marlio and Miss Shea to the Swattenden centre just outside of Cranbrook. The weather could not have been more perfect as at the start of each day they were greeted with sunny blue skies. Both groups did exceptionally well and didn’t get lost once.

Some of the students who completed their Bronze that weekend are already thinking about what they would like to do for their Silver award. DofE is a fantastic way to meet new people, learn new skills and experience a different aspect of school life. If you would like to get involved and are in year 10 or above please come and see Miss Marlio in science.

d Of E“ The Duke of Edinburgh award is a great experience; not only

does it look impressive on your CV when applying for jobs, but it’s also a fantastic way to make new friends, get involved in different organisations, become more of an active community member, and you discover a lot about yourself. DofE has been so much fun. It takes commitment, resilience and determination; but it’s all worth it in the end.”

Izzi Hodson

KENt PRIdE aWaRds

yOutH sPORts tRust – yOuNg aMbassadORs

On Thursday 18th October, I had the fantastic opportunity of being able to go to Maidstone Football stadium to participate in an exciting workshop. This enabled me to learn all about the qualities and roles that a Young Ambassador should have.

During the day I got to meet lots of new people from a variety of different schools. From this I learnt different ways in which schools organise a range of sporting events to help involve young children in sport.

Allysha Cross accompanied Mrs Walton and I and we have decided to set up a schools sports council. This will involve a male and female student from every year in key stage 3 so we are always aware of the different opinions on subjects with Physical Education, so we can help give others opportunities to enjoy PE as much as I do.

Charlotte Ham 10VH

KEy datEs fOR yOuR CaLENdaR

PLEASE DO NOT BOOK HOLIDAYS DURING TERM TIME

SPRING TERM MON 7 JAN - THU 28 MAR 2013

SUMMER TERM MON 15 APR - WED 24 JULY 2013

THU 20 DEC Early closing 12.30pm

FRI 21 DEC INSET Day

THU 10 JAN Year 10 Parents’ Evening 4-7pm

TUE 15 JAN PSA Meeting 7pm

THU 24 JAN Year 9 Parents’ Evening 4-7pm

FRI 1 FEB Burn’s Night 7pm - book your tickets early

MON 11 FEB Sing / Play Around

MON 18 FEB - MON 25 FEB – HALF TERM

W/C MON 11 MAR - School Production ‘Here We Are’