1. No category

Freebrough
Flyer
Academy News Vol 13 March 2015
“THIS IS A GOOD SCHOOL”
S
OFSTED 2015
taff and students at Freebrough
Academy are celebrating after a
hugely positive inspection.
The Academy has been graded
“good” by Ofsted following their
inspection in early January.
Freebrough Academy, which is
sponsored by Teesside University,
Prior Pursglove College and Redcar
and Cleveland Borough Council, was
commended for its high expectations,
positive behaviour of students and
engagement with parents.
It also received praise for the
determination and high ambitions
of Principal, Linda Halbert, as
well as the strength of teaching
and the progression of students to
employment, training or further
education.
The Ofsted report states: “The
Principal’s clarity of vision and
drive to secure the highest levels of
achievement has been fundamental
i n t h e A c a d e m y ’s u n r e l e n t i n g
improvement since opening. Her
strong sense of purpose permeates
the Academy from top to bottom. All
staff and students have subscribed to
the Academy ethos and vision.”
Mrs Halbert was delighted with
the results of the latest inspection,
she said: “The report really reflects
the hard work and determination of
A
staff, students, parents, governors
and partner agencies. It is a great
testament to the hard work and
dedication of everybody associated
with the Academy and reflects our
ambition to continuously improve.
“We are committed to providing
high quality teaching that supports
high quality learning and want our
students to enjoy coming to the
Academy and have the skills to play a
full and active role in its development.
“The support and guidance from our
sponsors and partnership agencies has
been incredible and has enabled us to
create a vibrant learning community
in which young people are inspired
and motivated to achieve excellence.”
Teesside University is the lead
sponsor of Freebrough Academy
and has developed a strong working
partnership to raise standards and
aspirations. The University has
provided mentoring, guidance and
bespoke activities to support the
Academy, and has also created roles
for student ambassadors to work
within the school setting and support
both staff and students.
Professor Liz Holey, Pro ViceChancellor (Quality) at Teesside
University, said: “We value our
role as lead sponsor of Freebrough
Academy and are delighted, but not
entirely surprised, with the results of
the Ofsted inspection.
“We have seen first-hand the
incredible amount of hard work and
dedication that has been put in to
improving the Academy and it really
is going from strength to strength.”
“In Linda, the Academy has an
inspirational leader with an infectious
enthusiasm and vision which filters
through to staff and students.”
“I would like to offer my sincere
congratulations to the Academy and
we look forward to working closely
together for many years to come.”
The report praises the strength
of relationships between staff and
students and the behaviour of the
students themselves, it states:
“Relationships are a significant
strength in the Academy. This helps
students to work diligently, and to
ensure that students are kept safe
and behave well both in classrooms
and at social times.” It goes on to
say, “Students are friendly, polite
and very positive about the quality of
experiences that they receive in the
Academy.”
Ofsted also recognised the huge
improvement in results, reporting
that: “Since the Academy opened,
students’ achievement and attainment
has improved a great deal year
on year, because senior leaders
have maintained a relentless focus
upon improving the quality and
e ff e c t i v e n e s s o f t e a c h i n g a n d
learning.”
If you would like to read the full
report for yourself please visit www.
freebroughacademy.org where you
will find a link to the OFSTED
website.
Freebrough’s Debut on the National Stage
group of Freebrough
students and staff fronted
a presentation to colleagues
from up and down the country
at the SSAT (Specialist Schools
and Academies Trust) National
Conference in Manchester about
the success of the Teaching
Effectiveness Enhancement
P ro g r a m m e ( T E E P ) i n t h e
Academy.
Students designed and created an
inspirational workshop for teachers
based on leading Educationalist,
Carol Dweck’s theories on the
‘Growth Mindset’. Using the
TEEP framework, students as
young as 11 led groups of teachers
and education dignitaries through
a series of thought-provoking
activities on Dweck’s work. It gave
students the opportunity to provide
teachers with a flavour of what it is
like in the Freebrough classroom.
The workshop culminated in
teachers reviewing what they had
learned and explaining this to their
colleagues in much the same way
as Freebrough students would in
a lesson.
Freebrough Academy
Principal, Linda Halbert, who
opened the presentation at the
National Conference said, “we
are immensely proud of our
Academy and our young people.
The six students here today have
demonstrated what we have
achieved as a school in front of
national audience. It is down to
the hard work, determination and
team ethos of all our teachers and
Inside this issue
Post 16 news.....................................page 2
Our Primaries.............................pages 6-9
Superstar Students ........................page 12
learners that have led to year-onyear improvements and the national
recognition we have received for
our successes.” SSAT lead, Andy
Williams described Freebrough’s
contribution to the National
Conference as “astounding”.
SSAT’s invitation to take part in
the National Conference arrived
shortly after Freebrough were
awarded TEEP Ambassador status
for being a centre of excellence
for continuous improvements in
teaching and learning.
Share,
Like and
Follow
/FreebroughAcademy
@FreebroughAcad
http://www.freebroughacademy.org
2
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Post 16 students inspired by
The All in One Company
S
tudents studying
Enterprise and
Entrepreneurship at the
Post 16@Freebrough
enterprise centre were
given a fabulous insight
P
into what it takes to
develop a successful
business when they visited
the All in One Company
in Ashington.
Students were able to
Post 16 on ice
learn about the business
and how it had started from
an idea which came about
when owner Kate Brown
was not able to find a onesie
for her baby. The company
are now the world leader in
personalised onesies, with
the only website where
you can customise your
own onesie. They have
supplied their products to
lots of celebrities and have
had to adapt and develop
their business over the
last seven years. In 2012
their turnover was an
impressive £1.2 million!
All students thoroughly
enjoyed their trip to the
factory and gained valuable
knowledge on how to build
and grow their business as
well as understanding the
manufacturing process.
I
t isn’t all work and no play at Post
16@Freebrough!
Our students get to enjoy regular trips
and activities to relax, get to know each
other and let off steam after working
hard towards their qualifications.
Post 16 students support
local primary school
ost 16 health and social care students
accompanied the Freebrough
Business and Enterprise department to
Skelton Primary School to assist with the
running of the Trading Places Enterprise
Challenge.
Students worked with small groups of
Year 5 children to undertake the enterprise
challenge. They are able to use the visit
as part of their coursework for their
M
Doing the moonwalk
ission X a global initiative that is
designed to excite young people about all
aspects of space and becoming an astronaut.
This year is very special for the UK as it will
be the first time a British citizen, Tim Peake,
will take the journey up to the International
Space Station. As part of this a select number of
Freebrough students will be training as astronauts
in a series of after school sessions covering three
subject areas:
P.E. – to demonstrate the level of physical fitness
all astronauts must have
qualification.
Post 16 student Charlotte said, “It was
really good fun and I feel I developed
my communication skills whilst enjoying
myself!”
George added, “I enjoyed myself very
much and feel I developed a multitude of
skills including building relationships and
communication skills. The younger students
were very polite.”
These pictures show some of our
students having fun on a recent trip to
Billingham Forum where they were by
accompanied by Mrs Dillon, Director of
Post 16 and Miss Greenwood from the
admin team.
F o o d Te c h n o l o g y – t o g i v e t h e m a n
understanding of the nutritional requirements of
an astronaut and also a taste of real space food!
Science – to give them an understanding of the
stresses astronauts undergo during life in space
In addition to this, from Monday 9 February
2015 the whole Academy will be “walking to
the moon”. Five members of each tutor group
will be given pedometers in an effort to generate
enough steps while walking around the Academy
to reach the moon - a staggering 478 MILLION
steps which is 238,857 miles!
APPLY NOW FOR
SEPTEMBER 2015
Post 16@ Freebrough
STUDY...
BTEC CREATIVE
A LEVEL
MEDIA PRODUCTION
HUMAN
BTECBIOLOGYBTEC
HEALTH AND
SOCIAL CARE
A LEVEL
MATHS
A LEVEL
PRODUCT
ENGINEERING
BTEC ENTERPRISE
DESIGN
AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
POST16@FREEBROUGH
INSPIRING SUCCESS AND EXCELLENCE
Linden Road, Brotton,
Saltburn-by-the-Sea,
TS12 2SJ
t: 01287 676305
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
A word from our Principal
I
am delighted to be able to
share with you some of the
amazing work being done by
staff and students at Freebrough
Academy in the spring edition of
the Freebrough Flyer.
A major achievement for us was
to be graded as a Good School
by Ofsted in January 2015. I am
delighted that all of the work
we have done over the last four
years has had such a positive
impact on the quality of provision
and quality of outcomes for our
A
students. We are now planning
our route to Outstanding to secure
the best possible experiences and
opportunities for our students to
support them to be the best they
can be.
We have welcomed a lot of
visitors this term who are keen to
see what we do at Freebrough and
learn from our journey so far. We
have been overwhelmed by the
positive feedback from our visitors
who, without exception, comment
on the calm and quiet learning
environment, hardworking, polite
and friendly students, supportive
3
and approachable staff and the
obviously positive climate we have
created for learning.
We are delighted to see that
even more parents have made
Freebrough the first choice for their
children in Year 7 2015. Numbers
have increased considerably
this year and demonstrates the
confidence parents have in us to
provide the best for their children.
We are beginning our transition
programme with a meeting for the
parents of Year 6 children who
are coming to us in September
on Thursday the 19 March 2015
at 5 pm at Freebrough Academy.
Parents and children will find out
all about the early transition into
Year 7 which this year will begin
on Monday 29 June 2015.
At the same time we are working
with Year 11 to ensure they are
fully prepared for their forthcoming
GCSE examinations. They are
taking every opportunity staff offer
in lessons, after school, during
holiday time and even on Saturdays
to ensure they are as prepared as
they can be.
I hope you enjoy seeing a flavour
of our work. Please don’t hesitate
to contact us if you would like to
know more.
Best wishes
Linda Halbert
Principal
Teesside University
Forensic Science Visit
group of 26 lucky students in Year 9
recently had the privilege of attending
the forensic science department at Teesside
University for a series of taster sessions on
the subject.
Teesside University is the main sponsor of
Freebrough Academy and as such provides
many exciting opportunities for our students
to use their state of the art facilities.
The students took part in four different
sessions which included; looking at
microscopy techniques, studying a crime
scene for different types of evidence,
recovering fingerprints from cars, taking their
own fingerprints and blood analysis from a
suspect’s clothing.
Stuart Walton, Assistant Director of Science,
who supervised the trip said, “This was a
fantastic opportunity for students to broaden
their scientific knowledge and improve their
practical skills in a realistic environment.
Everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed
themselves becoming fully fledged CSIs for
the day!”
O
Sharing our success
n Friday 6 February 2015 we
hosted our first TEEP (Teaching
Effectiveness Enhancement Programme)
Ambassador event for colleagues from
other schools across the region. The
event provided an opportunity for us to
share with others the improvements we
have made in teaching and learning since
the introduction of TEEP in October
2012. As part of the programme,
delegates were able to visit lessons, talk
to staff and meet with students.
TEEP has supported us in securing a
judgement of good in our recent OFSTED
inspection. Linda Halbert, Academy
Principal, explains why; “During the
inspection the lead inspector commented
upon how much he could see the positive
impact of TEEP on the quality of teaching
across all subjects within the Academy.
The inspection report comments on the
leadership of teaching as a ‘clear strength’
and on how ‘training is well thought out
and targeted to match Academy priorities’.
“TEEP has been the main focus of training
for our staff over the last two years. There
is no doubt in my mind that this is a direct
result of TEEP training for all teachers
and the way in which this has facilitated a
shared approach to teaching and a common
language across all subject areas. As a result
teachers share strategies that are effective
and have increasingly high expectations of
what our students can achieve.”
If you have any feedback, questions or comments on our newspaper we would be
delighted hear from you using the contact details below.
Call: 01287 676305
Email: [email protected]
4
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Let the championships begin!
I
n November 2014,
Freebrough Academy
once again catapulted
themselves into the
international language
learning scene by
participating in the first
ever Language Perfect,
Northern (Hemisphere)
Language championships.
The ten day, online language
learning competition is the
second largest in the world,
second only to the Language
Perfect World Championships
which takes place in May
Girls go extreme!
A
group of four Year 10 girls have been given the
opportunity to participate in a fabulously exciting
residential event during the Easter holidays.
The event, taking place at the Barnard Castle School,
is called Extreme Physics and will pit the brilliance of
the Freebrough ladies against a number of schools from
across the country.
every year.
Competing against schools
in Europe, Northern America,
Asia (including the United
Arab Emirates), Freebrough
exceeded their previous
success of their first ever
World Championships in
May 2014, where we placed
fifth in the country by placing
second in England, second
in Europe and eighth in
the Northern Hemisphere,
not only an outstanding
achievement but also an
exciting one. Freebrough
students are literally showing
the world that they CAN do
languages as approximately
60% of the students who
entered achieved either a
credit, bronze, silver or gold
award based on the amount
of words they translated over
the ten day competition. You
can see our full results for
this competition in the table
accompanying this article.
We are now looking at how
we can now develop ‘Elite’
competitors for the upcoming
World Championships.
Extreme Physics was originally set up in 2009 and aims
to inspire Year 10 students to study physics beyond GCSE
level by attending a three day residential course. Due
to popular demand, it has expanded over the years and
next year there will be five courses taking place around
the country at Rugby School, Barnard Castle School in
County Durham and for the first time, Wycombe Abbey
School in High Wycombe.
The students are given opportunities to listen to short
lectures by exciting speakers on various Extreme Physics
topics as well as undertake practical activities such as
making and launching paper rockets, building a ‘one
minute timer’ from a limited selection of items, trying rock
climbing and experiencing sky diving in a wind tunnel!
The students will lock horns in ferocious competition
with a number of private schools and then be rewarded
with a day trip to Manchester to participate in the Airkix
indoor skydiving arena.
As a school, we also secured
some special awards;
First in the Northern
Hemisphere for Italian
Third in the Northern
Hemisphere for Japanese
Students who deserve a
special mention;
First Place in Freebrough:
Jade Hopper Year 9 - 6866
points – 18079 words translated
Second Place in Freebrough:
Anna Kennedy Year 10 –
5556 points – 13572 words
translated
Third Place in Freebrough:
Lucie Maguire Year 8 –4313
points – 14526 words translated
Students who won special
prizes from the organisers;
Jamie Stelling in Year 9 won
a pizza party for his class and
a Penny™ Skateboard which
he will be able to customise
himself
Gabrielle Reid in Y7 won a
pizza party for her class
We didn’t want to keep
the success of the Language
P e r f e c t Wo r l d S e r i e s t o
ourselves this year so Mr
Greaves held a training session
to demonstrate the success
that local primary schools,
secondary schools and Further
Education providers could also
have in the championships.
Subsequently we were pleased
to welcome Prior Pursglove
on board to this coveted
competition. Mr Greaves
also arranged an inter-primary
competition between Badger
Hill Primary, St Peters Church
of England Primary and
Lockwood Primary. St Peters
came in first place translating
almost 75,000 words!
Supporting primary school sport
T
he Freebrough Academy student
sports leaders have once again had
a busy term helping to support our local
primary schools to engage in sporting
events.
Working alongside Ailsa Bell, School
Sports Coordinator who is based at
Freebrough, the students have organised
and helped with several activities held both
in the Academy and in other venues.
Following the cluster competition for
basketball, St Peter’s C of E Primary School
were successful in getting to the second
round of the competition which was held at
Outwood Academy Bydales.
The competition was a culmination of
training and matches held at Freebrough
Academy throughout the winter season.
Swimming galas have now been held at
Loftus and Saltburn Leisure Centres. St
Peter’s C of E Primary, St Joseph’s Primary,
Badger Hill Primary and Lockwood Primary
all attended and we eagerly await the results!
The annual inter-school cross country
competition is currently ongoing, with the
next event now due to take place in March
following a snow cancellation.
Next half term will also see the return of
the Tony Blair Tennis Tournament.
This competition involves schools from all
over the North East competing for the title and
will be supported by our sports leaders.
Open Events
Wednesday 25th March
5.30-7.30pm
Saturday 18th April
10am-12.30pm
99% A-level pass rate
99% BTEC pass rate
100% pass rate in 28 subjects
Apply now www.pursglove.ac.uk
We have a variety of rooms and spaces available for hire to meet the needs of a wide range of users.
ur building is fully accessible to those with disabilies and there is ample free paring available on site.
Most of our spaces are available wee days from 4.30 pm onwards and all day during school holiday
periods.
So, whether you are looing for a home for your regular 5-a-side football sessions, a beauful venue for
an awards evening or somewhere to deliver adult learning courses, Freebrough could be the answer.
o mae a booing, discuss your reuirements or arrange a visit to view our facilies please contact
David Powley (Site Manager)
reerog adey inden oad roon S-Y-HE-SE
elepone 01287 670000
Freeborough Flyer - March v5.indd 1
11/02/2015 08:11:50
Eail: powleyd@freerogaadey.org
S12 2SJ
www.freerogaadey.org
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Enterprising students aim to
make it to London again!
5
Our enterprising stars shine
across the curriculum
T
he first round of faculty enterprise awards have been handed out to students
this term. As part of our Business and Enterprise Specialism, the Academy
encourages students to consider how they are using their enterprise skills not just
in Business and Enterprise but across all subjects and activities.
Each faculty has awarded a student who has shown dedication to enterprise in lessons.
Awards will take place every term and students will receive their enterprising student
award badge to wear on their blazer, recognising their hard work. Well done to the winning
students this
Business and Enterprise/Modern Foreign
Languages – Charlotte Jones.
Charlotte is excellent at evaluating her enterprising skills in
lessons. She identifies which skills she has used and describes
in detail how she has demonstrated it. She also uses her
creative thinking to find new ways to extend her learning.
DICE (Incorporating technology and ICT subjects) - John Hawkins
John has consistently demonstrated good organisation skills in
the kitchen, making positive decisions about behaviour for learning
and using his initiative to suggest a poster for the food rooms
T
his year a group of five Freebrough
students are aiming to repeat our
success in the Premier League Enterprise
Challenge.
Our 2014 entrants reached the finals of the
competition, one of only six schools out of
over 500 to do so.
The challenge is delivered by the local
Enterprise Academies which are a part of the
Premier League and Championship Football
League’s community projects. Middlesbrough
Football Club’s Enterprise Academy is a strong
supporter of Freebrough and is again working
with us on this year’s challenge.
The 2015 challenge is to ‘develop a range
of initiatives and services that would increase
the attendance of families at football games at
your local club’. The team must consider the
financial implications of their ideas, how their
success would be measured by the board at
the football club and pitch their case for why
it is important for football clubs to engage
with families.
The team travelled to the Riverside Stadium
in December 2014 to meet staff and discuss the
upcoming challenge. The girls took part in an
in-depth question and answer session, grilling
the football club on their current provision and
how it could be improved. They then took part
in a tour of the stadium, to see first-hand what
the facilities for families are like.
The team then travelled to the Riverside
Stadium once again on 10 February 2015 to
compete in the first round of the competition.
The winning team from that round will go
onto compete in the regional heat later on in
the year.
Good luck to the girls!
Zenny hands out his first hooves
Humanities – Tommy Scott
Tommy shows leadership skills and the ability to think creatively
in geography on a consistent basis. He is very well organised
for lessons and able to work as part of a team. His ability to
stand up and communicate his ideas to the whole group shines.
He is showing great enterprise skills in Humanities!
Creative and Performing Arts – Erika Stephenson
When rehearsing for Nanny McPhee Erika showed fantastic decision
making skills by swapping roles with another performer as she recognised
that the other student would have been more comfortable playing her part.
Sport and Health - Sophie Ward
Sophie is a brilliant leader in the PE department. She demonstrates
her ability to lead a group in both netball and gymnastics.
Post 16 – Keren Gullon
Keren demonstrated fantastic organisation skills and creativity
when she organised the Christmas party for Post 16@Freebrough.
Maths – James Craven
James is a lead learner in maths and as such consistently
helps others within the group. Additionally, he has also taken
on the responsibility (without being asked) for putting out and
taking in maths equipment necessary for each lesson.
D
uring tutorial sessions students have
been working hard to record evidence
of their enterprise skills in action at school.
As part of the tutorial programme every
student has their own personal enterprise
tracker where they can record examples of
how they have demonstrated an enterprise
skill in action across the curriculum. Students
are working towards achieving a bronze, silver
and ultimately gold award in each of Zenny
Zeebrough’s enterprise skills.
For a bronze award six examples of a skill
in action are needed, 12 for a silver award
and 20 to achieve gold. Each term students
will be able to apply for new awards and will
be awarded with their ‘Hooves of Enterprise’
badge to wear on their blazer.
In total 82 awards have been achieved by
students in the first term. This is a fantastic
achievement!
The enterprise awards are an integral part of
our learner qualities programme. To achieve
Expert Learner status students should have
achieved awards in many of the enterprise
skills. This demonstrates our commitment
to ensuring all students are able to show an
entrepreneurial mind-set, which is vital in
further education and employment.
English – Daniel Bland
Dan demonstrated initiative and personal organisation over the
Christmas holidays. He set his own exam style questions and asked
for more when he needed them to be prepared for his exams.
Science – Michael Algie
Michael is constantly showing his enterprising skills
through his contributions to charitable organisations.
He is an entrepreneur of the future.
6
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Our Primaries
W
Hummersea News
ell we really did have some
o u t s t a n d i n g n e w s j u s t b e f o re
Christmas.
The Government have placed Hummersea in
the top 300 schools in the country for ‘closing
the gap’ in our academic results. As there
are over 18,000 primary schools in England,
this is an amazing achievement. They have
awarded these primary schools a qualifier prize
of £1,000.00.
Following on from the initial judging and
prize money, we have applied for the top
award
of £100,000.00. The judging process will
be in February and the final awards will be
presented in late March.
This came as a complete surprise to me but
I am ‘over the moon’ with the award! To
be recognised in the top 300 schools takes
dedication and determination by all the
staff, children and parents and I would like
to take this opportunity to offer my thanks
to everyone who has supported Hummersea
Primary School.
Well that’s my news. I will now leave the
rest of the article for the children to write.
Mr Tyreman
Key Stage 2 visited Darlington Civic Theatre
to watch the musical Joseph and his Amazing
Technicolor Dream-coat. It was fantastic,
funny and exciting! From our front row seats
we all enjoyed it immensely; clapping and
singing along, we had an amazing time.
As part of their literacy topic, Reception
and Key Stage 1 went to Billingham Forum
C
Theatre to see Room on the Broom, a play
adapted from the book by the fantastic
children’s author, Julia Donaldson. All of the
children loved it because the performance
was a mixture of puppets, songs and dancing.
December was a very busy month (as usual)
in Hummersea. We held our annual paper
chain competition, Mrs Spencer’s group won
yet again! Also families were invited in to
create a Christmas card to enter into our yearly
competition. Although we were almost spilling
out into the playground, it was lovely to see so
many families working together. We’d like to
say thank you to all for coming along.
We had fantastic school performances; Key
Stage 1 and Reception performed The Grumpy
Sheep, Nursery performed Our First Nativity
and Jack and the Beanstalk was performed by
Key Stage 2. Again thank you to everyone
who came and supported the children.
There was standing room only at our Carol
service. We sang traditional carols while
Year 5 played their recorders beautifully and
we listened to three stunning singers: Aaliyah
Iwakan, Dani Jemson and Alivia Bonas.
Our Christmas dinner was again a huge
success. Mandy (our spectacular cook) and
her amazing team cooked over 400 Christmas
dinners! With the help of every member of
staff everything ran smoothly.
Well done to Olivia Jemson Year 6, Lewis
Hewitt Year 5, Cassie Anderson Year 4,
Oakland Anderson Year 3, Poppy Dunnin Year
2 and Destony Taylor Biggin Year 1 who were
our Spelling Bee winners for this half term.
St Peter’s: Language Perfect
Northern Championships
hildren across Years
5 and 6 have been
involved in a competition
to test their Foreign
Language learning
supported by Freebrough
Academy.
Although they have been
building on their French
knowledge at school, they
were able to try many
new languages including
Japanese, Malay and Maori!
The children completed
translation and
understanding based
questions online and via an
app on school iPods. The
children were also very
eager to carry on the good
work at home and accessed
the programme after school
and at weekends!
Their hard work paid off
with St Peter’s achieving
seventh place for schools
of our size. This is quite an
achievement considering the
competition was open to all
schools in the Northern Hemisphere!
In the 10 day competition St Peter’s pupils answered an amazing 113,187 questions! Two
of our students were awarded ‘Silver’ placing them in the top 5% of 25,000 competitors
from around the world.
Ten were awarded Bronze, placing them in the top 10% and 4 received a ‘Credit’ for
being in the top 20%.
The most important thing is that all children were able to participate at their own level
and contributed to our school’s score.
Handale News
A
s I look out of my Headteacher’s office
window I cannot help but get excited
with the progress of the new build.
Today the roof is going on, the porch is
fitted and brick work has begun. We are only
25 weeks away from completion, and what a
busy time it is going to be. As you will see from
another article which one of our governors has
written to the Town Crier, preparations are well
underway for celebrating the two sites which
will become one. We hope that many of you
will pop in for a coffee and chat and enjoy the
displays of old photographs, I look forward to
hearing all your tales about the two schools.
The children continue to enjoy their weekly
visits to the site and the contractors have
been really encouraging and explained things
about the new build to the children. We are
really glad that so far we have had very little
disruption to the build because of snow and ice.
As I write, preparations are also nearing
completion for our annual Rights, Respecting,
Responsibilities (RRR) week, which this
year is to be held in the week commencing
9 February 2015. The theme this year is
‘Respecting our Community’. There are lots
of activities around Loftus and the surrounding
areas that the children are getting involved with
so please watch out for them and watch this
space for our report!
Alongside the excellent results we have had
in Key Stage One and Two, including some
excellent level 6 maths results, the Early
Years Foundation stage at Handale continues
to go from strength to strength. The provision
has been recognised by the Department of
T
Education as a centre of excellence and on
Wednesday 14 January 2015 we had an HMI
(Her Majesty’s Inspectorate) inspector visiting
our Early Years Provision. The visit was not an
inspection, but an Ofsted survey on teaching
and play in two year old and nursery provision.
It was a very thorough visit and will form part
of a larger study, the results of which will be
published in April.
Whilst keen to emphasise that the visit
was not an inspection the inspector did give
feedback to senior staff at the end of the day
and it was very favourable outlining that our
provision in the Early Years is highly positive.
I would like to say a big thank you to our Early
Years staff, children and parents.
When I next write to you I hope you have
managed to visit the school for some of our
exciting activities and seen for yourselves the
progress of the new building. I look forward
to seeing you soon.
Helen Blakeley
KTS Academy News
his year ‘Friends of KTS’
have raised over £18,000.
Every penny of this money
is used for the benefit of the
children and young adults at
KTS Academy. It is also used
to develop specialist resources
and equipment such as the new
sensory outdoor area.
We have a lot of fun raising
this money! For example; staff
recently put on a pantomime
production of ‘The Wizard of
Oz’ that included some Disney characters! They raised over £950. If anyone would
like more details regarding ‘Friends’ please contact the school.
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
7
Our Primaries
St Peter’s C of E Primary News
Kitemark Gold Award for St. Peter’s
S
t. Peter’s has been awarded the Gold
standard by the Youth Sport Trust for
its commitment to PE and School Sport.
As one of only two schools in the Cleveland
Sports Partnership to be awarded Kitemark
Gold it is a great achievement and rewards
the time and effort offered by staff and pupils
not only during lesson time but at lunchtimes,
evenings and weekends to the delivery of
sporting activities.
During the last year alone St. Peter’s pupils
have participated in 16 different sports. We
believe that there is a sport for every child to
enjoy and be proficient in. In the year ahead
we continue to be committed to offering a wide
range of coaching sessions for all our children
and signpost them towards local clubs if they
show an interest.
The hard work is also paying off on the
sports pitches; St. Peter’s are currently East
Cleveland Champions at Football, Basketball
and Tag Rugby!
Vestments for Children
Lego League National Finals
F
ollowing the success at Redcar & Cleveland
Lego Finals for Primary and Secondary
Schools before Christmas.
A group of Year 6 pupils from St. Peter’s
competed in the National Finals at Loughborough
University in Leicestershire against 9-16 year old
pupils from across the country. Although we are
not one of the two winning schools travelling to
America to compete in the International Finals we
received the Judges’ Award in recognition of the
way the children conducting themselves during
the interviews and presentations linked to our
topic on Healthy Eating. They also impressed on
the competition board, programming a robot to
complete tasks. After round 1 they were fifth but
unfortunately they couldn’t keep up the pressure
on the leaders.
Before the national finals the school welcomed
the support of Mr Stuart Nimmo, the local
organiser of the Lego League. He stated St Peter’s
are the first Redcar & Cleveland School to win a
prize at the National Finals. This is a magnificent
achievement for Science and Technology Subject
Leader Anthony Ormerod, School Governor Neil
Selley and the team of children after only four
years of competing in the league.
U11s Football Team
T
hrough the funding efforts
of St. Peter’s Parents and
Friends Association we have been
able to purchase 6 vestments
from the company Croft
Design based in Shropshire.
Children from across school will
be able to try on the specially made
Chasuble, Stoles, a Prayer Scarf,
Cope and Mitre during their visits to
St. Margaret’s Church to work with
Father Jonathan. The vestments
will help the children understand
which colours should be worn during
the Christian Calendar and why.
T
he Redcar & Cleveland District Team
consisting of boys from across the Local
Authority are having a great season and are
currently third in the North East League.
Managed by Richard Unthank and coached
by Cliffy Wright, the team play their fixtures at
St. Peter’s C of E Primary School on Saturday
mornings. For the first time in the sixteen years
Richard Unthank has managed the team there
are currently 4 boys that attend St. Peter’s.
8
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
At Freebrough Academy we value parent feedback. Knowing what we do well and what we can
improve on helps us to provide the best provision for our students.
These results are based on our feedback on the Ofsted Parent View website.
97% of parents
believe that their
child is well
taught at
Freebrough
Academy
97% of parents would recommend
us to another parent
9 out of 10 parents
think the Academy is
well led and managed
98% of parents say that their child makes
good progress at Freebrough Academy
95% of parents say that their
child is well looked aer at this
school
9 out of 10 parents believe that the
school ensures students behave well
98% of parents say that their
child is happy at this school
97% of parents
say that their
child feels safe
at Freebrough
97% of parents say
that they receive
valuable
informaon about
their child’s
progress
92% of parents say
that the Academy
responds well to any
concerns they raise
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
9
Our Primaries
Badger Hill News
Outdoor Adventures!
Y
ear 6 enjoyed from an exciting three days
at Robinwood Outdoor Activity Centre
where they learned many skills and conquered
many fears.
Here is one of their diary entry reports:
Dear Diary, Today is Day One. After impressing
Robin Hood in archery, we walked into a building
that looked quite new from across the courtyard.
Inside, there was a wash of white everywhere!
Also, there was a small cupboard white three
sections on it. Owen (our leader) quickly unlocked
the combination lock and grabbed a piece of
paper. Then, we skipped down the stairs, excited
for the next activity. We quickly opened the door
and we saw a huge pillar, which looked like a
giant child’s building block, with artificial rocks
to climb up to the summit. A sudden draft cuts
through me from miles above. Owen told us to
walk over to the harnesses so we bounced on the
spongy surface towards our destination. Owen
told us to stand in a line and put on our harnesses
and I bravely stepped forward to go first. After
a while, our team was ready, and I got clipped
in. Then, I began to go higher, and higher, and
higher towards the top. When I finally reached the
summit, I realised how high I was. I looked down.
My leg began to shake and I nearly fell off! Ten
seconds later, I jumped and there I was: hanging
on the trapeze. I DID IT DIARY! Gingerly, I let
go and was lowered by Owen. Soon, I reached
the ground, ready for another go (but with less
drama). By Joseph Brown
Year 1 Balloon Dance
Y
ear 1 performed their dance
at the School Games Awards
evening. They were brilliant and
very brave to perform in front of
such a large audience. Here is their
account:
We went to do a balloon dance at
Saltburn Learning Campus. Mrs
Foster blew us up and we got bigger
and bigger until Miss Madden
popped us. She made a big bang on
the tambourine. We whizzed around
and then floated down softly onto
the stage floor. It was great fun and
everyone watching us clapped and
cheered.
Children who danced were: Summer
Allison, Emily Blackham, Jessica Jo
Craven-Carless, Erin Davies, William
Davies, Eva Allison, Zara Sleight,
Henry Duck, Oliver Sowerby Owen
Ellerby–Wharton, Maya Hood, Nieve
Scott, Layla Stabler and Elliot Winter.
We received our Silver School Games
Mark Award at the event.
Thank you to Amy Atkinson and
Ryan Allison from Y6 who received
the award on behalf of the school
and to the Cleveland Schools Sports
Partnership for organising the event.
Primary students join us to play with fire
O
n the 5 February
2 0 1 5 t h e
Freebrough Academy
science department
welcomed 67 students
from Skelton Primary
School, along with
their teachers.
The group joined us to
take part in an exciting
afternoon of science
activities to give them
a taste of what they
can look forward to
when they become
Freebrough students.
The sessions focused
on getting ‘hands
on’ with science and
included: Observing
and carrying out colour
changing chemical
reactions Exothermic
and Endothermic
reactions (reactions
that give out heat and
take in heat)
Producing sodium
hydrogen carbonate and
acid volcanoes.
Making their
own sparklers from raw
ingredients (and getting
to light them using the
Bunsen burner to test
them out!)
Setting “fire” to their
own hand and to their
teacher!
S t u a r t Wa l t o n ,
Assistant Director
of Science, was
very impressed with
the Skelton Primary
students.
He said; “All the
pupils were fantastic
and really showed their
scientific skills across
the afternoon.
“I was incredibly
proud of their
engagement and level
of knowledge shown.
Massive thanks to
Miss Branch, Miss
Barnes and Mr Cameron
for running the other
two sessions.
“Also a massive thanks
to our expert science
technician, Don Clark,
who set up all of the
practical experiments
and helped to assist in
one of the sessions.”
10
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Children’s Takeover Day
Freebrough’s Got Talent returns!
L
C
hildren’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day
is a national event that gives children
and young people the chance to work with
adults for the day and be involved in decisionmaking.
Children benefit from the opportunity to
experience the world of work and make their
voices heard, while adults and organisations gain
a fresh perspective on what they do.
The aim is that this will help break down barriers
between generations and encourage children’s
active involvement in their communities.
Freebrough Academy had around 30 young
people and 25 adults directly involved on the
day which took the form of job sharing; young
people worked alongside teachers and school
support staff.
Amy Holinshead, Pastoral Leader at the
Academy, explains why we decided to get
involved in Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover
Day: “We are always looking for new ways to
engage with our young people and to allow them
to share their opinions and ideas.
“By working alongside a range of staff
members, students were able to get a real feel
for the work that goes in to running the Academy
and were able to give us their feedback on the
way things are done.
“Four of the students who were involved have
since delivered a workshop on their experience to
a Borough wide ‘Student Council Development
Day’ and the students will now share their
experiences with other student councils, from
the planning of the day to future steps, which we
hope will encourage them to take this forward in
their own schools in future. ”
a s t t e r m s a w F re e b ro u g h s t a f f
showcasing their talent in our version
of Stars in their Eyes. This term it was turn
of our students!
Mrs Parker, Director of Learning for
Creative and Performing Arts, held live
auditions where students had to showcase
a short extract of their piece. Some students
sang solos, some played instruments and we
even had solo dance pieces.
The final of Freebrough’s Got Talent was
held at the Academy on Thursday 24 February
2015 and was a fantastic night of showcasing
students’ amazing skills and passionate
enthusiasm. Winners will be revealed in our
next paper!
Army Cadet Force make their mark
T
he Freebrough Academy Detachment of
the Cleveland Army Cadet Force meets
twice per week at the Academy to participate
in a variety of activities including:
Military activities such as field craft, map and
compass, shooting, drill, first aid and tactical
exercises
Sporting activities such as football, hockey,
netball, athletics, climbing, swimming,
mountain biking, canoeing, camping, hill
walking and archery
Community service such as poppy selling and
attending charity events
If you would like to make new friends, learn
new skills and gain nationally recognised
qualifications which will look great on your CV
then visit us on a Tuesday or Thursday between
7 pm and 9 pm to find out more.
Teesside University
Proud to sponsor Freebrough Academy
tees.ac.uk
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
11
Performing and Creative Arts enrichment - Something for everyone!
I
n the Performing and Creative Arts
faculty we focus on linking our
enrichment to real life career paths,
both in the spotlight and backstage. For students who enjoy performing and
want to be in the limelight we have many
opportunities to shine.
Drama Youth Theatre meets weekly so
that students can rehearse and act out
scripts, culminating in performances in
front of live audiences. Dance club is
fantastic for students who want to learn
to choreograph their own dance routines
and showcase these dances at various
performing and creative arts events.
Students can also join singing club where
they are able to work with a specialist
singing teacher and perform their work
at various events including the Christmas
Concert which is performed in front of the
whole Academy. Cross country success
S
e v e r a l F re e b ro u g h
Academy students
took part in an individual
cross country event held
at Saltburn Learning
Campus.
Ellie Ward, Chloe Walker
and Kian Wildmore were
successful in qualifying for
the second round which
was held at Stewarts Park,
Middlesbrough.
Kian will now progress to
the next round which will be
held in South Shields.
Trampolining Triumph!
A
number of our students recently took part in a trampolining competition held
at Nunthorpe Academy.
The competition was attended by many schools from the Redcar and Cleveland area,
with the Freebrough Academy team scooping first place overall!
The following students took part in the competition:
Harry Thompson, Ellie Lewis, Shona Atkinson, Matty Morrish,
Callum Brundle, Marcus Earl, Bradley Money, Lewis Pennock,
Macey Wright, Chelsea Franks, Nathan Everington, Tyler Cowdell,
Tia Hetherington, Ellie Roper & Beth Smith
A special mention should go to Ben Marshall and Rya Johnson who shone in their age
and difficulty categories because of their skill and passion.
We also see the importance of the
backstage work that careers in performing
and creative arts can offer, which is why
we set up prosthetics club, art and pottery
club. At prosthetics club students learn
how to create and apply special effects
make up and face paint.
They use professional industry standard
equipment and work with two members of
T
staff who have been trained by an award
winning make up and prosthetics design
company to produce wounds and scars.
Art and pottery club gives students who
love to design things the opportunity to sit
back in a relaxed atmosphere and put their
creative minds into developing pieces of
art using a variety of different materials
and resources.
Time 4 You
i m e 4 Yo u P s y c h o l o g i c a l S c h o o l
Counselling Service, which has one of
its bases here at Freebrough Academy, has
had success in getting a further training
course accredited.
The Level 3 course aims to enhance
counselling skills for those working with
children and young people who have already
achieved accreditation at Level 2. This course
is suitable for professional people such as
counsellors in training and non-counsellors
who work with children and young people in
the school environment.
The Time 4 You community interest company,
Counselling in Schools North East, has also
been successful in securing funding from
Awards 4 All to run the level 2 training course
in order to fund student counsellors in training
to supplement the service. On completion of
the training the students will be equipped to
apply for a placement within the community
of Redcar and East Cleveland where we have
a well-established counselling service. This
will help the students to gain the required hours
for their counselling qualification and will also
benefit the schools who will gain extra support
for their students. All students will be managed
and clinically supervised by Time 4 You.
To help to ensure that Time 4 You select the
right candidates for the student counsellor
roles Freebrough students have been
asked to help with the interview process. Sandra Bell, Managing Director at Time 4
You (pictured with this article) said: “Having
a group of Freebrough Academy student
ambassadors on our interview panel has
proved invaluable in the past as they are able
to offer a young person’s perspective. Indeed
they have often surprised us and surpassed
our expectations by coming up with their own
interview questions and showing a level of
maturity and observation skills that are quite
exceptional.”
Freebrough Flyer Vol 13 March 2015
Freebrough Flyer
Superstar Students
Maths – Zoey Wills, Chloe Snowdon
and Megan McConnell
All three girls consistently have a positive attitude
to learning and a willingness to go that extra mile.
Drama - Key Stage 4 - Anna Kennedy
For her fantastic detailed responses to questions in drama
and for her excellent portrayal of her characters. She also
puts continuous effort in to her work at drama youth theatre.
Post 16 - Vicki Thorpe
Sophie is fantastic both in dance lessons and after school dance club. She
has superb movement memory, always has a positive attitude and gives
everything 100%.
Geography – Luke Holmes
Luke works consistently hard in lessons and is producing work of a very high standard. He
completed a piece of homework on Rivers which was brilliant; full of detail and a pleasure
to read! A lovely young man who shows that working hard brings the rewards of success.
History - Katie Greenwood
Katie is making outstanding progress in History. She is always
willing to contribute positively to lessons and has pushed herself
and has surpassed her target – now working at grade A!
PE - Hannah Hurn
Hannah has been selected to play for the District
Hockey Team and is playing as Goal Keeper.
French - Thomas Howard
Thomas shows superb use of tenses and connectives. He
produces some outstanding work! Félicitations!!!
Business and Enterprise - Laura Smithies
Laura is a dedicated and motivated BTEC student.
She is already showing Distinction level writing!
Drama -Key Stage 3 - Kieran Sulley
For his continuous effort to succeed in drama. He is always a pleasure
to have in drama and he strives to improve his confidence every lessons.
Art - Key stage 4 - Becky Kidd
For always working hard to produce excellent work.
Art - Key Stage 3 – Ollie Taberner
For consistent hard work and effort.
Dance - Key Stage 3 - Rosie Enticknap
Rosie always shows a high level of energy and positive attitude to learning.
Dance - Key Stage 4 - Ellie Roper
Ellie is a very hard worker who shows dedication
and motivation in everything she does.
Computer Science - Kennedy Simpson
Outstanding work – gives 100% effort all of the
time. Kennedy is an absolute delight to teach.
ICT - Samantha Clarke
Samantha is the most improved student in ICT, working exceptionally
well and now producing A/A* work in the ECDL examinations.
Food - Chelsea Franks
Chelsea produces excellent classwork and
always puts in a great deal of effort.
PBL - Luke Dunning
Health and Social Care- Danni Allison
Luke is always fantastic in discussions; mature and passionate about any
topic he speaks about. He is an SMSC superstar
Danni has shown a massive improvement in attitude to learning
and puts in a great deal of effort in lessons, trying to improve
her grade and aiming for the highest level every lesson.
Psychology - Kate Husband
Textiles - Sophie Ferguson
Kate achieved the highest mark in her year
group on the PPE exam. Well done Kate!
Sophie always tries her best, works through problems, is a positive role
model to others and a great helper in lessons. She challenges herself and
does not take the easy option and always completes homework on time.
English - Craig Graham
Engineering - Alex Hodgson
Craig has been a revelation in lessons and is extremely
focused and determined to succeed in the subject.
Alex takes a real interest in the wider subject area and
always looks to further develop his understanding.
Congratulations to all our superstar students