the achiever issue 11
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Pendle Vale Colleges school magazineTRANSCRIPT
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Name:
The
Achiever
Issu
e 11
The off cial magazine of Pendle Vale College
The Pendle 3
Peaks
Celebrating Success
GCSE RESULTS!
Congratulations to the class of 2014
Think Pendle Vale, Think Achievement
STUDENT COUNCIL
in this issue...
Student Support
Primary Transition
Calling all Parents
A very warm welcome
to the new year 7
students
Outdoor Summer
School
Hello and a very warm welcome to the 11th edition of our very popular College magazine The Achiever, highlighting, in a snapshot of time, many of the fantastic, exciting and innovative things happening here at Pendle Vale College.
We are all pretty chipper here at Pendle Vale College as we
start the new academic year, having been in receipt of some
very pleasing GCSE results, achieved in a time of great
‘volatility’ within the examination field.
My sincere thanks go out to my incredibly hard working,
committed and supportive staff who helped this equally
industrious and motivated cohort of young people, The
Class of 2014, achieved extremely creditable results. We
wish all these students the very best for continued
success, good health and happiness wherever their
futures take them.
This ties in neatly to the theme of this edition of The
Achiever, which is following the journey of young people
before, during and after their five years with us at Pendle
Vale College. It is always a thrill to read about how young
people who have completed their secondary education
with us then aspire to even bigger and greater things in the
future. We like to believe that we have played our part in the
success of these alumni.
What I hope also comes through very strongly in this
Achiever is the strong sense of community that we have
here at Pendle Vale College and the caring and incredibly
supportive environment that students, staff and parents
all benefit from. We are particularly trying to increase the
participative role of parents here as they are key-players in
ensuring that their child succeeds at school.
There is an expression that says ‘Achievement starts at
home’.
I am confident that you will enjoy reading this edition of
The Achiever.
My very best wishes
Steve Wilson
Dear reader,
Each time we come to edit the latest issue of The Achiever we discover new, exciting developments taking place alongside superb annual events and success stories and this issue of the magazine is no different.Our theme for this edition is “Transition to and from Secondary School” to give you an insight into the exciting experiences on offer for our students here at Pendle Vale throughout their five years with us.
We hope you enjoy reading the latest issue and if you would like to contribute to future issues please let us know.
M Hardwick & J Seggie – Editors
Access our online portal to find out
about your child’s attendance, behaviour and
homework. You will find it at: www.mychildatschool.com
If you do not have your user name and login details please
contact the school.
Celebrate and reward your child when they do well.
Talk to your child about school; show an interest in what they are doing.
Your child will have homework
every night, it will be recorded on
MCAS, make sure they do it before they do anything
else.
Calling all Parents
Keep in touch with us,
attend parents’ evenings and review days.
Make sure that your
child reads for at least 30 minutes
each day.
Help your child keep a healthy
balance between schoolwork and
their social life, they will need to
work hard on their learning during
and out of school hours if they
want to be successful.
We have had some stunning individual
performances this year including:
Celebrating Success
The hard work has already begun to ensure even better results in the future and we have high hopes for our current Year 11.
It is always exciting to hear about the success of former students. Congratulations to Amy Elliott who is going on to study Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Manchester after achieving 4 A* and A grades at Nelson and Colne College. Other notable academic successes from ex-students include: Arshad Ali, Bethany Greenwood, Qamer Ilyas, Naila Rashid, Hamera Sajid, Kiran Sharif and Zarah Younas. Well done and good luck to you all in the future – we are very proud.
Darab Khan (8A*s, 4As, 1B)
Lidija Jefimovs- Lambrou (7A*s, 6As)
Nouman Nadeem (5A*s, 8As)
Qurratulain Mehmood (5A*s, 6As, 2Bs)
Mohammad Abdullah (4A*s, 6As, 3Bs)
Pendle Vale College would like to say congratulations to the class of 2014.
48% of students achieved 5A*-C grades including GCSE qualifications in
English and Mathematics. We are very pleased with these results, which
reflect the hard work and determination shown by the year group. The results
are also an increase on the previous year’s performance and show that the
future is bright for Pendle Vale College.
What can you do to support your child?...
All evidence points
towards students
performing well at
school when their
parents are fully
engaged and
supporting of them
and their learning.
What can you do to
ensure your child
leaves Pendle Vale
College with
good grades?
Welcome to Pendle Vale College, I am Amelia
Bennett, a student in Year 7 and I would like
to take this opportunity to tell you about my
experience of starting school here at Pendle
Vale.
I looked round many schools and decided
after speaking with some of the teachers and
seeing the wonderful facilities, this was the
school for me and I am so glad I made that
choice.
I was the only person coming to Pendle Vale
from my primary school Casterton and I was
a bit nervous at first but when Mrs Pearson
came to see me at my primary I became a
lot more confident and less worried about
starting secondary school. Mrs Pearson
explained how everything worked and said
how I would be fine.
I went to one of the Summer school weeks
during the holidays which was so much fun
and gave me the chance to get to know some
new people and explore the college before
I started in September. I found this very
helpful and was looking forward to my first
day at Pendle Vale.
I thought I would be scared when all the
older students started but I have many
friends not only in Year 7 but in the other
year groups as well. I know that if I am
worried about anything at all I can tell any
teacher or a Prefect and they will help. My
Form Tutor is my first point of contact but
then I also have my PDL Ms Pozarowszcyk.
My lessons have been very different from
primary school and really interesting
particularly science because we get to do
experiments and use all sorts of equipment.
I have really enjoyed PE and there are lots
of after school sports to take part in. I have
signed up for football, netball, basketball
and cricket. The gym equipment is fantastic
especially the treadmill.
I was a little bit anxious that Maths would be
difficult however my teacher put my mind at
rest and is keen to make sure I understand
everything.
Drama at Pendle Vale is amazing! The
activities are very different each lesson and
I am encouraged to use my imagination and
add my personality to my work.
Last Friday I spent the day at Urban Altitude
in Colne with my form doing some team
building activities and swinging on the ropes.
It was brilliant!
Overall I am having a great time at Pendle
Vale and always look forward to every day
here, hopefully you will too.
My First Week
The school has subscribed to the GCSEPod service for three years but have recently upgraded to the
new and improved 2.0 site which is completely free for all students and which we believe
will be of great benefit to them during the coming year.
The school are delighted to announce the arrival of GCSEPod 2.0!
GCSEPod has over 3,500 teacher-written, audio-visual podcasts produced
specifically for mobile devices and containing all the right facts, quotes,
keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that learners need for GCSE
success. The GCSEPod 2.0 website can be viewed on mobiles, tablets and PCs
and the podcasts can be downloaded for offline viewing so offers very convenient
access both in and out of school. The podcasts are also mapped to the
curriculum and are designed to support students in the classroom, with their
homework and during exam time.
What’s new?Playlists - Create a playlist, give it a name, add some podcasts and save. Watch the playlist online to brush up on your knowledge or download it and take it out and about with you on your device.
My GCSEs - Keep yourself organised by viewing a list of all your exams in subject or date order. View an exam playlist to see all the podcasts relevant to that exam, select the areas you find tricky and add them to your favourites playlist.
Assignments - View homework set by your teacher, watch the podcasts they have selected and complete questions to help test your knowledge on a topic. Results are instant so you can see which areas you still need to work on.
Downloads - Android/Blackberry/Windows users can download podcasts straight to their device (no computer required!). Apple users can download the GCSEPod 2.0 Apple App from the AppStore.
We recommend that you discuss GCSEPod with your
son or daughter, ensure that they have correct login
details to enter the site and
encourage them to make use
of this service throughout
their year. Many teachers may set homework on the
site using the “Assignment”
feature as GCSEPod has already been proven to have
a significant impact on A*- C
performance and we aim to
continue to make it an integral
part of learning for every GCSE student studying at the
school.
All students have already been
registered with GCSEPod 2.0
and so simply need to activate
their account and choose a
username and password.
To access GCSEPod for the
first time, students should
follow these steps:Go to www.gcsepod.com and
click “Login” in the top right
hand corner
Click “New here? Get started.”
Enter their name, date of birth
and choose their school
Select a username and password (to be used when
they next login) and select the
subjects they study
Once logged in, students
can search for podcasts by
keyword, by a specific exam
or by subject area. Help guides explaining how to use
the site are available at www.gcsepod.com/help
Students from several of our feeder primary schools have been regular visitors from year five working with our teachers in Maths, Science, PE and Technology.
In PE, the primary students were put through their paces using the fitness suite facilities including rowing machines and cross trainers. They were ably supported by our GCSE PE students, who supervised and showed them the correct techniques for safely using the machines.
Students then had a go at boxing techniques with the chance to throw a few punches! Students were shown the correct standing position and then, using gloves and pads, developed their jab.
3, 2, 1
Blast off!
At Pendle Vale College we understand that starting at
Secondary can be a daunting and worrying experience for
both parents and children. To make the transition as smooth
as possible we have made it our mission to build up close
relationships with our feeder primaries. The students then
feel more confident as they are familiar with the school
and are ready for future success.
The mission was successful and we look forward to welcoming our budding astronauts to Pendle Vale in the near future.
The students really enjoyed their experience and here are some of their comments:
Hammad Raza -Lomeshaye: “I’m going to show my teacher at school and then they might let us launch rockets!”
Lois Page - Castercliffe: “My favourite part was eating the space bananas.”
Haadiyah Ubaid - Barrowford Primary: “I enjoyed making the badges for our group and
launching the rocket. I’m going to take my ideas back to school and tell all my friends.”
The Technology department supported the correct design of the rocket fin and used computer-aided design with the primary students. Mrs Bayley took the students into her “Space kitchen” with a selection of Space Food that they had to try and evaluate. They had to taste and smell various foods before finally deciding what was the most suitable type for the mission. The Science department then took on the role of the launch team to help the students to complete the countdown. The teams then competed to get the highest launch into space.
The primary students also worked with the Science department to conduct some experiments. They were shown a demonstration using Bunsen burners to prove which foods produced the most energy. They were able to use some very exciting equipment and enjoyed the process of working out the investigation.
Building on the success of our Space and Rocket week, Able, Gifted and Talented students from six of our largest primary feeders were invited in to work with our Maths, Technology and Science departments. The project involved budgeting for, designing, building and launching a Mars lander whilst also planning for the practicalities of the mission. Their mathematical skills were put to the test by Mrs Renshaw, who made sure the financial director in the groups kept control of the money to ensure they did not go over budget.
Day 1We were introduced to the main characters in the book. The narrator is an unhappy
school-boy who runs away from his boarding school. So after reading we made a
campfire, learning how to lay, light and maintain a fire safely. Imagining we were also
on the run we then built dens in groups and had to endure the water test – to see if
our den would protect us from the elements.
Day 2 The story takes us to Africa where the main character, Bertie, finds the white lion cub in need of help. We made “Bertie’s bananas” – bananas stuffed with chocolate and cooked on the camp fire. We also made African animals from newspaper and masking tape and decorated them. Look at the range of animals we made. We also made and decorated kites to fly in the afternoon. One of the highlights of the week was an afternoon of archery where we were taught how to use a bow and arrow. How proud we were when we burst the balloons on the targets!
A Book in a Wood Week Pendle Vale’s Outdoor Summer School
“I enjoyed making pizza and having hot chocolate whilst reading The Butterfly Lion,” Ayesha Kaneez
“ I have learnt other ways to amuse yourself instead of gadgets and I have learnt
reading is fun.” Umar Farooq
“ I learnt how to
light a campfire
and about the
fire circle and
how to support
others.” Hajra Ahme
This year, we ran an outdoor Summer
School called “A Book in a Wood Week”
-based up at Bowley Scout Camp, Great
Harwood.
The week was action packed and full
of fun. We read “The Butterfly Lion” by
Michael Morpurgo, often outside around
a campfire. Every day we read a few
chapters, linking our activities
to the events in the novel so
that the whole story came
to life for us.
“I have learnt that books drag you into them.” Zaira Aslam “Reading can be fun” Hajra Iman
Day 3In Africa animals are often tracked - so we did the same, our campsite was causing a stir amongst the animals so we followed footprints to find elephants, monkeys, giraffes and a lion – all hiding in the bush!Hiding and camouflage was a bit of a theme for the week and everyone had a turn at hiding using ghillie suits as camouflage – we nearly didn’t find Miss Newton as she was so good at hiding!
Day 4 The story moves on in time to the First World War. We were glad we
had the historical knowledge of Mr Dillon, to help us understand how
the war started and the terrible conditions the soldiers endured. We
played games to understand more about “No Mans Land” and
team-work. Then it was time to lighten the atmosphere – so we made
real popcorn on the campfire, and settled down to campfire craft –
weaving using sticks and brightly coloured wool. Miss Begum got
quite carried away – and still has hers hung in the garden.
Day 5 The end of the story is about finding the white lion and being
re-united with him, and so we had our own hunt for the white lion, in the form of a safari, running around and collecting animal cards of
different values. As in a safari there were lots of gazelles and giraffes but only one white lion worth a whopping 25 points to the team that
found it! Then, after toasting marshmallows, we headed down to the ropes
course for a morning of teambuilding, which required perseverance and agility to get through the ropes course. It took us all morning but we all did it, helping and encouraging each other as we went along!
Finally it was time to say goodbye to the new friends we had made, but not before we chose another Michael Morpurgo book to take away and read over the rest of the Summer holiday. Both groups
were keen to meet up again in September, to catch up, swap books and no doubt have some more hot chocolate and marshmallows!
“I have thoroughly enjoyed cooking food on the fire also having fun with new friends.” Ayman Khatana
“I have learnt I can do things that are thrown at me.” Aman Rahim
“I learnt that team work is very important.” Hamza Abbas “I learnt that team work is very important.” Hamza Abbas
Student S
upport comprises 5 distinct but overlapping team
s.
ATTENDANCE TEAM
The attendance team is there to encourage and support you to maintain high levels of attendance and punctuality. High levels of contact between
home and school are maintained as any absence is checked out on a daily basis. We also run regular
attendance competitions with prizes for winning forms and individuals.
Are you our next winner?
STUDENT SUPPORTHelping you to achieve your very best
If you require support which is a little different from your normal curriculum our School Engagement Team offers nurture
and student intervention provision in specially designed facilities, the Pendle Room and the Student Inclusion Centre, on
Student Support. Also high on the teams priority list is to ensure our partnership with the community is continually
strengthened. Tell your families to look out for our ‘Mum 2 Mum’, ‘Community Call In’ and ‘Community Voice’ groups
SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT TEAM
SAFEGUARDING
TEAM
Keeping you safe at Pendle Vale is our number one priority
and our experienced Safeguarding Team will do just that. We
will work with you and your family to make sure you achieve
the best possible outcomes. We are always there to listen and
reassure you and your family when times are tough and we are
there to smile with you when life gets better. You will also see us
in assemblies and during group activities where we will provide
you with all the information you need to stay safe in an ever
more complicated modern world.
SEN
ATTENDANCE
SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT
EMOTIONAL
WELL-BEING
SAFEGUARDING
The Emotional Well-being Team is on hand to make sure
worries and problems are quickly sorted, allowing you to
concentrate on performing to the best of your ability. A
member of the team focuses on a particular year group
supporting the relevant Progress and Development Leader
(PDL). Mrs Birch (Yr 7), Mr Rehman (Yr 8), Mr Iqbal (Yr 9),
Miss Batool (Yr 10) and Mrs Parker (Yr 11). The team has
extensive contacts with external agencies making sure that
help is on hand when you need it.
EMOTIONAL
WELL-BEING TEAM
SEN TEAMIf you need additional help in classes our SEN team will make sure you receive it. Our team of expert
teaching assistants are trained to support hearing, visually and mobility impaired students. We also
support students who have recently moved to the UK and possess limited English language skills.
We might work with you on an individual, pair or small group basis, making sure we understand your
needs and developing strategies and resources to ensure your potential is fully realised. We are also
big supporters of Pendle Vale’s successful drive to boost student literacy and spend many hours ‘toe
by toe’ listening to students read. On top of all this we offer a range of clubs – please come and see what is on offer for you.
The Pendle 3 Peaks
STUDENT COUNCILTo help us address the task we undertook a visit to the National Football Museum in Manchester which gave us lots of ideas of how to make use of the available space around college. During the visit we also took away the idea of having a termly charity that we would support as a college. We subsequently purchased a charity collection box which is now located on level 3 to allow the students to make donations. To finish the year off we went to Parliament and here we discussed the work we had done on the student council with our local MP Andrew Stephenson. We’ve really enjoyed being able to represent all the Pendle Vale Students as part of the Student Council and being involved with making changes around the college.
As a Student Council last year we undertook the task of making the college more visitor
friendly by adding signs and arrows around college. This made it easier for visitors and students to
find their way around the premises.
Congratulations to the determined student and staff walkers
who completed a gruelling 32.5 mile walk around Pendle.
Starting at 5:30am from Wycoller the group made its first climb up to the summit of
Boulsworth. From Boulsworth it was a long journey to Newchurch to achieve the
second climb up to the summit of Pendle. From Pendle the last leg of the journey
meant a climb up Weets Hill. Tired and aching legs were forgotten when the group
reached Barnoldswick and the challenge was complete. A truly excellent effort which
not only challenged our students but raised money for charity too.
Look out for the next Pendle Vale
Charity Challenge – a 127 mile bike
ride along the Leeds – Liverpool
canal. Are you up for the challenge?
Helping us to celebrate our students’ successes at our annual awards evening in November will be Lancashire Cricket Club captain and coach Glen Chapple.
An exciting development for year 11 is the introduction of two ‘Super Saturdays’. Both events will be held at Old Trafford, home of Lancashire Cricket Club. ‘Super Saturday 1’ in February will be a ‘catch up and stretch’ event. Selected students will attend a day of intensive support designed to get them ready for success in next summer’s exams. ‘Super Saturday 2’ in March will be a ‘revision launchpad’ day where students will be encouraged to develop revision strategies to suit their individual learning style.
An exciting year ahead, come on year 11, bowl us over!
We know our students at Pendle Vale College are avid followers of cricket. This year we are delighted to announce three important events where Pendle Vale College has linked with Lancashire county cricket club to develop and celebrate our successes.
In June a group of year 9 students attended the National Holocaust Centre in Nottingham as part of their History and Citizenship education. The word Holocaust refers to the period of time in History where Nazi Germany persecuted Jewish citizens from across Europe. The students saw museum exhibits and toured the gardens which really brought home to them the sheer scale of human suffering during this harrowing period of time. The most powerful part of the day was
undoubtedly the opportunity to listen to Simon Winston, a survivor of the Holocaust, who not only told his story but then answered questions from our students. The day aroused strong emotions and was very thought provoking. A visit like this really shows the importance of understanding, multiculturalism and togetherness; values which we hold dear at Pendle Vale College.
The First World War comes to Pendle Vale
Remembering the Holocaust
The 1914 – 1918 war was a global struggle. Life changed forever. Nothing was ever the
same again. Over 9 million soldiers died as a result of the fighting. Of those people who did
not fight as soldiers nearly 6 million civilians died from disease or starvation and almost 1
million more were killed as a direct result of military operations. In all at least 16 million
people directly lost their lives because of this war. Add to this more than 21 million who were wounded, some of whom recovered but others
were never the same again, either in body or in mind.
Sometimes the First World War feels like distant history. The jumpy black and white
films, the unfamiliar clothes and the horses pulling wagons, all look like something from a world long forgotten. Yet the last soldiers who
fought in the war have only recently died and a few of the 1914–18 generation, who witnessed
the war but were too young to take part, are still alive.
The war is slipping beyond the fringes of living memory and, with the Centenary of 1914 with us this year we have to work harder to make
sure we do not forget. If we want to understand today, we need to know and remember what
happened yesterdayIn October, less than three weeks before
Remembrance Day, Pendle Vale College led by the History Department will be remembering
the Great War in its own way. There will be lots of things going on both inside and outside of
normal lesson time.
This year the world marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. The war reached out and touched almost everyone’s life in some way or other. Men enlisted, or were called up in their millions and were sent to fight in places that many had never even heard of before.
Thomas Whittam: A local man who was awarded the Victoria Cross for extreme courage in the face of danger.
Congratulations to the boys and girls who represented Pendle Vale College so enthusiastically at the Pendle Inter Schools Athletics Tournaments, which were held
at Seedhill Athletics track during the summer term. The Junior Boys team came second overall, which was
a fantastic effort and the Junior Girls only just behind them in 3rd place. In the Inters competitions both the girls and boys teams came 4th
overall with many good performances. Well done to everyone who took part.
Lancashire Schools Athletics
Congratulations to Katrina Rydzinska who was chosen to represent Pendle at the
Lancashire Schools Athletics Championships held at Stanley
Park, Blackpool. Katrina did extremely well in the Junior Girls Shot Putt whilst still a
year younger than many of her competitors.
Cricket Pendle
Well done to the year 7 cricket team winning against both West
Craven and Marsden Heights and drawing against Fisher More in
a tense encounter. Year 8 won matches against Fisher More and
Primet and Year 9 won all their games beating Fisher More, West
Craven, Primet and Marsden Heights to be crowned Pendle Schools
Champions.
Having got to the fourth round of the Lancashire Schools Cup, beating
Grammar schools and private schools on the way, we were narrowly
beaten by Arnold private school from Lytham, who then subsequently
proceeded to the Final. Well done to the following boys who were
chosen to represent Pendle Schools at cricket during the summer
term. U13 Zeeshan Ashraf, Umar Iqbal and Ali Zeb U15 Matthew
Heap, Amir Saddique and Unays Hannan.
Once again we are delighted to
celebrate the sporting successes of
our students at Pendle Vale College.
Shooting Stars
Sports Day
What a fantastic day we had this year. The sun was shining and competitors wore their new Pendle Vale kit or wore outfits representing different countries from the Football World Cup. Overall Sports Day Champions were 9I, many congratulations to them and to everyone else who made it such a successful event.
Pendle Vale was lucky enough to win Wimbledon tickets in the National Schools Ballot this summer. Several fortunate students got the chance to have a day hobnobbing with the rich and famous on Centre Court whilst enjoying the Tennis.
Reward Trip 2014
At the end of the summer term 7 girls and 7 boys from
each year group were selected to go on a PE reward
trip to High Adventure Outdoor Education Centre in
Cowling. The chosen students faced a variety of
challenges including low ropes, high ropes, abseiling,
caving, sumo wrestling (in big daft suits) and archery.
Everyone had a very enjoyable day.
Well done to Kieron Whitaker
who has been selected in the U14 Lancashire
Football Squad. After a very rigorous selection
process, which involved over 100 boys from
across the county.
Wimbledon
Thank you!Many of our students have helped out and taken leadership
roles in a number of different activities throughout the year.
We are extremely grateful for their enthusiastic support
because without it many of the
events that we schedule would not be able to take place.
- Sporting Achievements
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Pendle Vale College. Oxford Road, Nelson, Lancashire BB9 8LF
Tel: 01282 682240 Fax: 01282 682289 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.pendlevale.lancs.sch.uk Headteacher: Mr S Wilson, BSc
As a team of prefects we have been working hard to help them settle in.
Being here, at Pendle Vale, for just over 4 years has allowed us to work and achieve to the highest possible standard. We have enjoyed every moment of it here due to an amazing learning environment created by the friendly staff and fellow students. There are so many opportunities for each and every student to get involved and have new experiences that help create incredible memories!
As Head Boy and Head Girl, we have had the pleasant opportunity of getting more involved in activities and events that have taken place both in and out of school, including the chance to speak to parents about all the exciting things in college that their children can be looking forward to and also any concerns they may have. We have so much to offer you and we know you’re going to love it here!
PREFECTS 2014-2015
11B
Romy GoddardSuha Mehmood
11G
Chloe CraigNaeela Malik
11L
Saneela Butt
11M
Sophie ChatburnTayyibah FarooqIqra HussainAleena KhursidMuniba RaufLeah TurnerLouise Watson
110
Sarah BoultSaima HussainKomal Younas
Firstly, we would like to give the new year 7 students a very warm welcome to Pendle Vale College!
11IAleksandra BrylakTaiba Nasir
We hope you have an amazing 5
years here at Pendle Vale College
& wish you all the best!
11R Sam Alker Zahira Bhatti
11V Maubeen Afzal Cece Hirst
11Y
Aneesa Ashraf
Zareen Aslam
Amman Sohail
Message from Head boy and Head Girl Rameel Amin and Harisah Shah