The Regents Review - Winter 2015

The Regents

Review

Regents park Community College Newsletter WINTER 2015

Saints Foundation programme – Clare Balding visit See page 7

Mr Sinclair’s Royal Invite

European Day of Languages

Portchester Castle visit

Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

WELCOME

Headteacher’s Welcome Welcome to the autumn edition of Regents Review.

activities, but I hope the articles contained within this newsletter will go some way towards demonstrating a very successful few months. There have been so many highlights this term, but our Open Evening must rank towards the top of the list. We had fantastic support from students, staff and prospective parents, which ensured our school was very busy on the night. We followed up on our Open Evening with tours of the school, during the working day, spread over two weeks and our first Saturday taster day for Year 5 and 6 students. This has culminated in another increase in the number of parents who

have chosen Regents Park as their number one choice school. Another highlight was our Certificate Presentation Evening, when the ‘Class of 2015’ returned to receive their examination certificates. I never cease to be impressed by the efforts, skills and dedication of our students and staff, which – when combined with the support from parents – ensures an excellent environment for learning. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Jonty Archibald

Is it really a year since the school’s ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection? As parents who attended the parent forum this term will tell you, the school is not relaxing; if anything we have higher expectations for Regents Park Community College in the future. As the school moves forward, we welcome a new governing body led by the new chair of governors: Mrs Beverley Higlett. I would like to thank the IEB – Interim Executive Board for their support, especially the chair of the IEB: Mr Ian Fielder. It’s a real challenge to sum up an autumn term packed with positive Samuel Lacey, a Year 9 student, has a lot to be proud of as he now has a total of 4 ‘Blue Peter’ badges to his name. The badges were awarded for participating in a range of activities linked with the show. His first badge – the standard ‘Blue Peter’ badge – was given to him for writing to the show with his ideas. Later, he wrote in again, giving constructive criticism on how he thought the show could be improved. His ideas must have been great as he was then awarded a ‘Purple Award’ badge. Inspiring a friend to take part in a new sport earned Samuel the coveted ‘Sports Award’ badge. This involved him inviting a friend to his church group to take part in a table tennis tournament. Now he has been awarded a ‘Silver’ badge for, once again, writing into General News

Year 9 student is awarded 4 ‘Blue Peter’ badges

School Website We have recently updated and improved our school website. Please log on and take a look at www.regentsparkcollege.org.uk . We would welcome your feedback. We have introduced new features to help parents and in the top right hand corner there are icons for the following:

thank the show for their help in his learning. Samuel is dyslexic and explained that as he sometimes struggles with his homework, he often found ‘Blue Peter’ to cover interesting and relevant topics that helped with his understanding of things that he had been learning in school. Well done Samuel! We look forward to hearing of any future badges for your great contributions to the show.

Twitter

Online payments for trips and dinner money

Parents Evening Booking System

Vivo Rewards

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

General News

Brothers in charity fundraising Macaulay Totten and his younger brother Callum should be proud of themselves and the way they helped a friend in need. When Dylan Vanhill, 13, a close friend of Callum’s, discovered a tumour in his back, they decided they wanted to do something to help him. They approached their teachers about arranging a non-school uniform and were proud to raise £365 to donate to Southampton General Hospital and the ward which Dylan was staying in. Well done to both of the boys on their motivation and instigation of such a worthy cause.

Mr Sinclair’s Royal Invite

Mr Sinclair was excited to be invited to Buckingham Palace in recognition of his great work in promoting Rugby at Regents Park. Here he tells us about his experience. ‘I was honoured to

receive a Royal invite to Buckingham Palace in recognition of the rising participation in Rugby at Regents Park Community College and for supporting students involved in the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony. The invite from the Queen was an

opportunity of a lifetime to meet members of the Royal Family, including the Queen herself, Prince Phillip, Prince Harry and the Princess Royal. I was also able to meet World Cup Rugby players. The evening was surreal – arriving at the Palace amongst crowds of people, all waiting to catch glimpses of players involved in the World Cup. I must admit I felt strange driving through the gates of Buckingham Palace past the massive crowds eagerly taking pictures – some bizarrely of me! Once inside, I was free to mingle with other people involved with the Rugby World Cup. This included volunteers, CEO’s from all the venues hosting the tournament and other teachers developing the game at grass roots. The evening was opened by Prince Harry, who thanked everyone involved in the Rugby World Cup from volunteers and referees to host stadiums and the international players. A highlight for me was meeting members of the Royal Family and chatting to players such as: Richie McCaw the ‘All Black’ captain; Grieg Laidlaw, Scotland’s scrum half; Chris Robshaw, England Captain and England’s most capped player, Jason Leonard. It has been such a privilege to have been able to have had such a range of opportunities through Rugby at Regents Park. We’ve been able to take students to Twickenham Stadium to play a tournament (involving teachers and students) on the pitch there; designed bespoke Canterbury Rugby shirts for Regents Park and, of course, our involvement in the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. This has all been made possible through the support of the England Rugby’s All Schools Programme. I would like to thank Mr Archibald for whole heartedly supporting these ventures, which have given students here the opportunity to take part in once on a lifetime experiences. Thanks must also go to the Regents Park Rugby team – what a fantastic group of team players! Mr Sinclair

VIVOs The VIVO reward system

continues to run successfully. Make sure you’ve logged in and ask your tutor to check your points.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

General News

National Student Celebration Westminster London 23rd September 2015 Once again, Regents Park students were invited to Westminster in London to collect an award for the excellent progress shown in their 2015 exam results. Impressively, across the whole year group, students gained a positive progress score of 0.3; this means that on average, every GCSE grade for every student was a quarter of a grade higher than the national average achieved by students across the country. Over two thirds of students in last year’s Year 11 gained at least 5 higher grade passes at GCSE level or equivalent. Two students who made incredible progress were chosen to represent the year group. Zeynep Gunaydin was predicted C grades based on her Year 6 results, but left Regents Park with 6 Bs and a distinction* in Performing Arts. Zeynep was accompanied by her tutor Miss Jones. Miss Jones was always there to support Zeynep when she needed reassuring and it was that care – as well as academic support – that has helped our students achieve so well. John Salvadico was predicted C/D grades on arrival at Regents Park based on his KS2 levels and even John would have to admit that, at the beginning of Year 10, it looked very unlikely that he would gain five higher grade passes. However with extra help and support especially in English and Mathematics, John went on to get 7 higher grade passes including English and Mathematics and his results placed him in the top 5 highest progress scores in the school.

MacMillan Coffee Morning On the 25th September 2015 the staff at Regents Park Community College supported the MacMillan Coffee Morning. After a day filled with biscuits and cakes, the staff raised £115, which will be donated to MacMillan Cancer Support. Thank you to everyone who supported the event and also to Mrs Tavender for organising the morning.

The guest speaker at the awards was Levi Roots of ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’ fame. Levi was awarded £50,000 on popular television series ‘Dragon’s Den’ and is now a television star, as well as a famed entrepreneur. His closing inspirational words were: ‘I want to spread the word that if a black Brixtonian Rastafarian can make it with a sauce so can you!’

Outstanding Homework

Homework this term has been of a high standard, as you can see from Mrs Barnes’ ‘Outstanding Homework’ board. Keep up the good work.

Welcome to Schools Direct Trainees A warm welcome to: Faith Alabaster in Art; Matt Game in PE; Emma Grassie in English; Joe Tait in Maths and Imanol Urretavizcaya in MFL, who have all made an excellent start to their teaching careers and are welcome additions to their respective curriculum areas and to the school community.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

GENERAL NEWS

Open Events 2015 Biggest turnout ever!

Year 8s win design competition Regents Park students were overjoyed after they won a

Last half term, Regents Park Community College proudly opened its doors and welcomed Year 5 and Year 6 children and their parents to a number of open events. This year a record amount of parents attended our formal Open Evening, with over 500 visitors on the night. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many comments about the warm and friendly atmosphere, the dedication of the staff and the overall appearance of our learning environment. The evening began with a formal welcome speech from Headteacher Mr Archibald, and Assistant Headteacher Ms Webster. Following this, guided tours by current students, ensured parents saw all that we have to offer. No visit could be deemed complete without tasting the treats in the MFL café, sampling a ‘school dinners’ menu from City Catering or trying the freshly baked bread from Food Technology students. Activities included Kung Fu Punctuation in English, role plays in History and experiments in Science.

competition to design a new waste solution lorry. Haulage firm Raymond Brown launched a bid for youngsters to help come up with new ideas to help support their recycling efforts. As a result, 13 pupils from Year 8 at Regents Park Community College took part and were crowned winners and had their work showcased when a lorry bearing their artwork pulled into the school. Head of Year 8, Miss Bishop said: ‘The students and the staff are very excited to see our new lorry on the road and I am very proud of what my year group has achieved. As a school, we are grateful of the opportunities afforded us by companies, such as Raymond Brown which allow students’ learning to extend beyond the classroom.’ The winning team members were:- Ranjeet Singh Ellie Holmes Deveena Khela Yazmin Simmons Anisha Begum

Experience learning the RPCC way! Going to school on a Saturday? Really? Yes, this year we offered Year 5 and Year 6 students the chance to take part in a taster session. On Saturday 3rd October, 60 students – some a little nervous but most a little excited – arrived at RPCC to experience learning our way. Sessions in Art, Geography, Media, Literacy, Religious Education, Physical Education and Information Communication Technology were delivered by our expert teachers. As they left, students were rewarded with certificates and RPCC pens. The students were enthusiastic and clearly talented. We look forward to seeing many of them again as part of our transition process.

Armistice Day At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – the day which marks the end of the First World War – staff and students observed the 2 minute silence. Once again, Mr Barron played the ‘Last Post’ to mark the occasion. A group of students came to school dressed in their Cadet uniforms and took on the role of selling poppies to support ‘The Royal British Legion.’

Robyn Caine Harriet Baker Jess Barclay William Greenacre

Megan Ebbutt Eva Shepherd

Phoebe Underhill Emma Frederick

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

GENERAL NEWS

All Schools Programme Students participating in Rugby at Regents Park have had some amazing experiences this year due to the ‘All Schools Programme’ which we have been involved in. The ‘All Schools Programme’ is a national initiative with the aim of raising participation and enjoyment in Rugby in all schools throughout the country. The programme intends to reach over 750 state schools nationwide, which will result in an increase of 1 million students playing Rugby regularly. Canterbury clothing, the official supplier of England’s Rugby kit – have also been involved by supplying each school a full bespoke Rugby kit designed by their students. The ‘All Schools Programme’ has the backing of Prince Harry as its patron. Regents Park Rugby experiences this year as part of the ‘All Schools Programme’ have included: • Competing against local schools in a day’s tournament at Winchester and Eastleigh Rugby Clubs; • ‘All Schools‘ regular evening tournament against local schools; • Twickenham stadium tour; • Twickenham touch tournament against other schools nationwide; • Meeting Rugby legends, Jason Leonard, most capped England player; Maggie Alphonsi, ex England women’s flanker; Mike Catt, World Cup winner and Andy Farrell; • Taking part in the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Opening Ceremony Regents Park, as part of the ‘All Schools Programme’ was invited to be a part of Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony in recognition of their success in the scheme. 10 students, who had demonstrated a high level of commitment and enjoyment, from the Year 8 Rugby team were selected. All the students were very excited at the prospect of being involved in a prestigious, once in a lifetime event in front of 82,000 people at Twickenham as well as billions on television around the world. The boys took part in a number of rehearsals at ‘Ealing Trailfinders Rugby club’ as well as at Twickenham in the days leading up to the opening ceremony, in preparation for the opening night as England took on Fiji.

The boys got some sense of occasion rehearsing at Twickenham days before the first game, but seemed to be completely taken back when they arrived on the opening day of the Rugby World Cup. When the boys arrived they were ushered through crowds waiting to enter the stadium, through security and were able to wander around the stadium hours before England kicked off against Fiji. The students did one final rehearsal back stage, before being escorted past thousands of people to pitch side – ready to walk out onto Rugby’s biggest stage. After the opening ceremony all the students involved were clapped and given ‘high fives’ by members of the public, which made them feel like rock stars. The excitement of being involved and appearing on global television was evident on the journey back to Regents Park after England beat Fiji with renditions of ‘World in Union and ‘Jerusalem’ being sung.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

GENERAL NEWS

Innovative Teaching Week In our journey to create truly outstanding teaching and learning at Regents Park, we decided to challenge ourselves with the launch of the ‘Innovative Teaching Week’. This took place on the first week back after the half term holiday and involved trialling new approaches to teaching with the aim of creating more student engagement and enjoyment of learning. The focus of this work was to encourage creativity in teaching and learning and staff development. At some point during ‘Innovative Teaching’ week, each teacher challenged themselves to deliver their lesson, or part of the lesson, in a unique and different way than they had ever done before. It was a fantastic week with lots of students enjoying a wide variety of different approaches, ranging from murder mystery lessons in English to team pursuit in PE – some teachers even dressed up for the occasion! Our thanks go to Mrs Porter, Miss Croud and Miss Cannon who organised the events for the week. Teachers and students alike have had a lot of fun and learnt new things in a new way, which is what we set out to do. We will definitely be running a week like this again! Mr Henderson Deputy Headteacher

The Saints Foundation programme

This term a group of Year 8 students were selected to take part in the ‘Saints Foundation’ programme, aiming to promote literacy and numeracy. Cora Byrne in Year 8 had this to share about her experience so far: ‘This term, I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in the ‘Saints Foundation’ programme. Ever since I’ve started the programme, I’ve been excited every week to learn about Southampton Football Club (SFC) and it also helps us improve with English and Mathematics. In the first week, we were lucky enough to tour St Mary’s Stadium and we also learned about teamwork, presentation and communication skills. We designed a new kit for the Saints and gave a presentation on why our kit should be chosen for sponsorship. We also sent a letter to Ralph Krueger, the chairman of SFC. The famous broadcaster Clare Balding was so impressed by the ‘Saints Foundation’, that she came to one of our sessions and we were able to meet her. Many prizes have also been won such as programmes and football t-shirts. In the last week, we’ve been doing a small rapping competition which was very fun. Ever since we’ve been on the programme, I’ve been more engaged in my learning and have learnt so much. I am very grateful to have been included in this opportunity.’

Unity 101 Students continue

to broadcast on a weekly basis. Listen live at Unity101.org/

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

GENERAL News

Year 7 News The new Year 7s have settled into Regents Park well in their first term; this is extremely pleasing considering they are currently the largest cohort in school. It was always going to be a challenge to settle such a large number of students, but with extra transition days offered and a summer school, the transition from primary school has been smooth and enjoyable. They have really immersed themselves into life at Regents Park and this is evident by the number of students involved in extra-curricular activities, including: Rock Challenge; ICT club; Trampoline club and also involvement in a ‘Swim to Rio’ challenge. The football team got off to a great start to the league by beating Woodlands 3-2. Students demonstrated great determination to overcome a 0-2 score line at half time. Well done to everyone involved! The Rugby team have had the opportunity to compete against a number of schools in a ‘Touch to Tackle’ tournament at Southampton Rugby Club. Despite not winning a game, they came close a number of times and even managed a draw against Cantell. It was a great introduction to the contact aspect of the game and all students seemed to enjoy it. I feel very proud and honoured to be the Head of Year 7 and I am hopeful that all students will continue to demonstrate a high level of commitment to their learning at Regents Park to ensure they meet or exceed their target grades, academically and socially. Mr Sinclair Head of Year 7

Year 8 News It has been an absolute pleasure to take over Year 8 this term and what an amazing start they’ve already had! 78 students in the year group have 100% attendance so far, with no late marks. This is to be congratulated! Even at this early stage in the year, students have been offered a wealth of opportunities, including involvement in the opening of the Rugby World Cup, as organised by Mr Sinclair. Read the full story in our ‘General News’ section. Another exciting opportunity was offered to Year 8 students by local haulage firm ‘Raymond Brown’, whereby students were invited to take part in designing a new waste solution lorry – with the idea of promoting recycling. All Year 8 students entered and you can read more about the winning team in ‘General News’. 15 Year 8 students have been invited to work alongside the Saints Academy with a view to improve motivation and engagement in Maths and English. Mr Lucas – Head of English – organised and oversaw the selection of students and the running of the programme. This included a visit from Clare Balding, the award-winning presenter and broadcaster, who had been so impressed with the Saints Academy Charity that she has signed up as an ambassador. Read more about this story and what students had to say about it in our ‘General News’ section. As you can see, Year 8 is a great group of students and I’m proud of what a brilliant start they have made. They’ve thrown themselves into the many opportunities they’ve been given with great results. Myself, and the Year 8 team would like to wish you a happy, healthy Christmas and New Year. Miss Bishop Head of Year 8

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

GENERAL News

Year 9 News Year 9 have made a fantastic start to the year and have been busy with a range of learning activities and lessons. Tutor time has been filled with some very competitive inter-tutor competitions! Branson KH is currently stealing the lead, with some incredible inspiring tutor entries, including a tactile stress relieving poster and a creative thank you card. Year 9 students have shown themselves to be a caring cohort. This was evident when several female students (who wish to remain anonymous) sent the teachers random gifts of kindness; a really inspirational and kind act. There have been some incredible extra-curricular achievements including Rhiannon Ford-Bailey and her win at her Gymnastics Club competition and Maddison McGregor-Ritchie represented ‘Itchen Imperial Rowing Club’ at the South Coast Rowing competition, coming third overall. You can also read about

Year 11 News This has been a really exciting term for Year 11 as they have started to gear up for their final GCSEs. Their first mock examinations took place this month and their results will give them a very clear idea of how they can expect to perform in 2016. There is a real sense that Year 11 are now in charge of their own destiny and they are showing a more mature and studious attitude to their learning. Record numbers are attending the fantastic interventions put on by the school. Wednesdays and Thursdays see ‘Breakfast Club’ in Science and Maths and all departments are informing their students about after school revision times as well. We would encourage all students to attend at least two of these per week. We are also excited to announce that the year group has now chosen their Prom venue. The event will take place at Southampton Football Club in the President Suite. All students have been invited to put forward their ideas to the elected Prom Council so that the occasion can be personalised for this fantastic group of students. In order to fund the celebration, the Student Leadership Team will be organising fund raising events, to include: cake sales; Christmas card making; shoe shining and the Regents Park Bake Off! I would personally like to thank all of Year 11 for their tremendous attitude and work ethic, shown most recently in their Maths mocks and their English Controlled Assessments. All staff involved have commented on how positively they have approached these exams. If they can apply this level of commitment in the future then it will be a very successful Year. Good luck to all! Mr Holloway Head of Year 11

Samuel Lacey’s great achievement in accruing 4 Blue Peter badges in our ‘General News’ section.

Miss Hocking Head of Year 9

Year 10 News The first year of GCSEs has started very well. Thank you to all of the parents who attended our Open Evening; it was a great opportunity to hear about the subjects we offer students and a chance to understand the new GCSEs. Out of 136 students, 121 have been on Work Experience from 30th November – 4th December. This was a great opportunity for students to see life in the 'real world' and to understand the expectations of employers. You may be aware of our new attendance monitoring system – SOL. This system allows tutors to help students to monitor their attendance and to focus on being in every lesson. Nationwide, school attendance is expected to be 96% or above. If your child falls below this percentage, tutors will contact you to discuss and to offer support if necessary.  Finally, it's great to see that we have appointed our team of Assistant Prefects! These students take on the responsibility of guiding others through the challenge of these GCSE years and setting an example to the years below. Two of them will be selected as Head Boy and Head Girl for 2016.  Mrs Neale Head of Year 10

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

English Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 students have made an incredible start this year. Year 9 students were given a taste of Media Studies as they started the year studying ‘Films outside of Hollywood’. They were introduced to media terminology, including mise-en-scene and cinematography, and explored these techniques in a range of clips, trailers and films, such as The ‘Woman in Black’ and short films such as ‘Love Field’. Some classes even went on to plan and pitch their own film ideas, planning for characters, setting, plot, posters and trailers. 9GY even went on to film their own short movies. If you enjoyed this unit, remember Media Studies is an option later in the year! Year 10 had an intense start to the year studying the first literature text for GCSE: either ‘An Inspector Calls’ or ‘Lord of the Flies’. They are our first cohort to undergo the new GCSE specification and have embraced this challenge. Upon completion of the novel/play the cohort sat a mock exam in the style of the new GCSE. This meant students were not allowed copies of the text to assist them with finding quotations or ideas – they had to learn these in advance. Year 10 approached this in a very mature manner and the English Department are incredibly proud of them. part of a national competition where students across the country learn and recite poems. Each class had a winner from their heats who then competed against the winners from the other classes on the 27th November. The winner will go on to represent RPCC at the regional competition in Winchester in the spring. Look out for further news of the winning students in the next edition of our termly newsletter. It’s been all go for Year 11 this term, who have completed their final controlled assessments – a total of 20% of their final language grade. Students have had to study spoken language and how we use and adapt talk in different contexts. They then went on to create either a monologue or a podcast, showing they could write for the spoken voice taking into account a specific audience. In addition, Year 10 had the opportunity to participate in the school’s ‘Poetry by Heart’ final. This is

Welcome The English Department would also like to welcome Miss Woolhouse, who comes to us with a wealth of experience teaching English in the North of England. She joined us in September and we are very pleased to have her.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Book Corner A new edition to the ‘Regents Review’ will be book recommendations by RPCC staff and students. This issue’s ‘Regents Book Review’ is from Ms Webster, Assistant Headteacher. ‘I used to be a quite a fan of McEwan, after discovering ‘The Comfort of Strangers’ in my first years of teaching in Edinburgh and have read most of his novels. Some, like Amsterdam, were unrewarding but all have been thought-provoking. ‘The Children Act’ to me is a perfect short novel. At around 240 pages, this can be read in a couple of sittings. However, the depth of descriptions are worth savouring. The novel is narrated by a female High Court Judge called Fiona Maye whose personal and professional life intertwine. In the central case of the novel, she has to make a decision which will affect whether a seventeen year old boy lives or dies. This dilemma urges the reader on, but there is more to McEwan’s book than just a gripping story. Law, religion, relationships and ultimately responsibility are all explored in a novel whose characters stay with you long after the denouement.’

Also, this term Year 11 have sat mock exams for language and literature. The English Department are very impressed with the mature attitude and dedication the cohort are taking towards their exams. Well done, Year 11. Poetry Slam 2015 Move over the Poet Laureate, there’s new talent in town! The current Year 8 has shown that they have poetic tendencies, and this year’s annual Poetry Slam was a way in which they could exhibit this. All poems performed had a distinct ‘Different Cultures’ theme and students displayed what can only be described as, an excellent ability to not only write poetry but also to perform it to a high standard. Work was not only original, but also effective with the additional aspect of dramatising the written word; this proved to be very popular. Every class had at least 2 performances chosen to represent them, in the hopes of being victorious. The muse struck the students in a variety of way. Some used food, such as the humorous ditty about ‘Chopsticks in a Noodle Bowl’, whilst other performers used the slave trade and their journey to a life of misery, as their focus. Guest judges – members of the Humanities Department – had the tricky task of choosing this year’s winners. After much deliberation, Mrs O’Brien named members of Mrs Cox’s class the well-deserved winning group. Zakaria Sbaa, Konur Bilgic, Connor Earney and Alfie Bell, working in sync, did a fabulous performance piece that was both unique and moving.

The winning poem was entitled:

‘Harmony’ Again we row As I move, we all move Forever in harmony The boat creaks The steady beat The slashing waves Forever stays Forever in harmony. The stick comes and goes But never touching Deprived of sanity We never reach Forever in harmony The silence swallows all The drum shatters the silence As again we take another step Only to be brought back By the silence Forever in harmony We can never stop Until we die Freedom Never mine Forever in harmony Dawn breaks The day breaks The sun rises Only to set again Forever in harmony I dare to take another step Only going deeper I don’t look back But forward I see nothing Forever in harmony. Written by Zakaria Sbaa Crushing us Pounding us Breaking us Forever in harmony

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News Mathematics Year 11 rise to the challenge in GCSE Mathematics Year 11 students have made a fantastic start to this academic year; they are consistently contributing towards a positive learning environment in lessons and taking responsibility for their progress. This manifested itself in the October mock when, only six weeks into term,

a 17% increase in the pass rate compared to July 2015 was achieved. Rewards went to the following students in each class: Well done Year 11!! December mock awards will be published in the spring newsletter. All years have welcomed our new Mathematics teachers to the school: Mrs T Crookes and Mrs J Street.

11BW Miss Jones

11BX Mrs Street

11BY Miss O’Leary

11BZ Mr Hayward

11BV Mr Wharton

11GY Mr Holloway

11GZ Mrs Crooks

Kacper Trybalski

Ilyaz Sayenko Taylor Murphy Sasha Birchall

Lydia Grice Courtney Evans Georgia Dazley

Jamol Jumaboev

Viktorija Zabarovskyte

Emily Hartley Hannah Day

Erinne George Nikola Rek

Jakub Juda

Jhorna Begum = Cameron Whitmarsh

Chloe Chester = Charlie Maunders

Tomislav Conrad

Chloe Houston Prince

Carl Anicoche

Connor Mason Liam Bowles

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Welcome Year 7s The Mathematics Department would like to welcome our Year 7s to the school. They have been working hard, carrying out data handling tasks where they have drawn and interpreted graphs and found averages and range. They are now well underway extending their numeracy skills and recording their progress on their numeracy passport. This is a chance for them to learn and consolidate their multiplication tables in a fun way whilst earning VIVO points when they complete each level. Multiplication tables are useful throughout many areas in Mathematics and so we would ask that you encourage them each step of the way in learning their tables from 1 to 12. ‘We use our passports to the world; this keeps track of which times tables we learn and use. When you complete these you move on to square numbers and square roots. When you complete each country you move on to the next. After completing each section you will also receive VIVO points. Personally I think that times tables are very useful because you can use them in all different types of Mathematics such as long multiplication, division and later, area and volume.’ By Hannah McArthur, Branson TC

Key Stage 3 Maths Clinic A new Key Stage 3 Maths Clinic has opened on Wednesdays from 2.45 pm in Room 34. This is an opportunity for your child to ‘drop in’ for maths advice on topics where they would like a little extra help or to ask questions about their homework.

Year 11 Mathematics Revision Breakfast Club From 7.45am on Thursdays you could

smell hot chocolate and hear the sound of ‘Maths Talk’ in the lower corridor of South Block! We ran a successful 8-week revision programme for

Year 11 to support them in their preparation for their first mock examination – which took place in October – and whole school mock examinations in December. All participants showed an improvement in their October mock examination results compared to the June examination. We will resume this programme in the Spring term when the mornings are lighter; new members welcome!

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

ICT and Technology New projects in KS3 This term has been an exciting one in Design Technology as students have been trialling some new projects as part of their rotations: • Year 7 have been developing their graphics skills designing new card games using a combination of ICT and hand skills; • Year 8 are experimenting with different techniques in Textiles to create patchwork items. Another new project has students testing their cutting and folding skills by creating pop up books for stories they have created; • Year 9 have been testing their practical hand skills by working with woods and creating ball based games. These have been inspired by games such as pinball and bagatelle. All these new projects have been very well received by students and we always appreciate any student feedback about how they feel regarding these changes. Year 11 controlled assessment Students who opted for Resistant Materials and Catering courses are fast approaching the end of their controlled assessment. Upon completion of this, exam preparations will dominate lessons as the final countdown begins. From January, Resistant Materials will be focusing on exam revision and technique; any time needed to modify coursework will take place after school on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Catering coursework will continue with deadlines as follows: Selecting Dishes Friday 15th January 2016 Making Friday 5th February 2016 Evaluation Friday 11th March 2016 Trends in Technology! In the second half of this autumn term, students in Year 9 have been researching and developing their awareness of how technology has changed and impacted our lives. Many students are still befuddled by the idea that many people of an older generation grew up without daily contact with computers and phones. Do you still have an old phone from the 1990s or 2000s collecting dust in a drawer? The ICT Department would love to collect any old disused phones to help show students how they have developed in size and appearance. If you have a phone you wish to donate please make sure that any SIM card is removed, and personal details removed. The phones will not be turned on and will be used for display only.

Get ready for Christmas Please see a selection of tasty Christmas recipes that you may want to try at home for the forthcoming holidays. A great way to practice skills from your Food Technology lessons in school. www.bbc.co.uk/food

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Science Breakfast club We have had a fantastic turn out for our Science breakfast club. Bright and early on a Wednesday morning, our dedicated Year 11s have been arriving to school at the crack of dawn to come and revise with the Science department. Hot chocolate and croissant in hand, hardworking students have been working hard to recap important ideas ready for their exams in May. Each week, Mrs Porter gives out a prize for the class with the best attendance at revision – encourage all your friends to come along so that your class can be the winners! Mrs Porter and Miss Crowe have also issued loyalty cards for our revision sessions. Every week, the students can get their cards signed and when they are full, they will get their own super Science badge! Since November, we also have undergraduate students from Southampton University coming into breakfast club to support students with their revision, but also to discuss with them about where their Science GCSEs could take them after they leave school – a valuable insight, considering that Year 11s are now applying to colleges! If you haven’t yet made it to one of our breakfast club sessions, pop along next week. Science club We have had an amazing group of Year 7s and 8s attending Science Club on a Wednesday after school. Run by Miss Groves, students get opportunities to do lots of hands on activities and fun, exciting science experiments. So far, students have: made slime; designed their own parachutes; crushed cans using Bunsen burners and brewed many concoctions. We also have some brilliant Year 9 students who help run Science Club, and they have been supporting some of the new students as they get to grips with new scientific techniques. Since November, we have also had undergraduate students from Southampton University coming into help run Science club. Students can get to see how real scientists carry out real Science. Coming up in Science Club: forensics; making snow and many more exciting experiments!

Science Museum 70 Year 8 students (and staff) were very excited to be heading to the Science Museum at the start of this half term where we were able to explore the museum, getting hands on with Science and visiting the enormous IMAX 3D screens to watch a futuristic film. We look forward to sharing pictures with you in the next edition of the Regents Review! Science Department training Our Science Department are always looking for ways to improve our teaching and learning. So on a staff training day, we took part in a training session with Dave Whittle, from the Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service, addressing the common misconceptions that students encounter in Science and how to improve building the different stages in knowledge, whilst doing a few experiments, of course! The Science team will be putting our training into practise to make our Science lessons even more engaging and progressive than ever before. Parental Evening On 23rd September, the Science Department opened its doors to both students AND their parents to run an information evening about Science in Year 11. Many sessions were held including: • Exam and controlled assessment information; • Resources room; • Studying Science at College; • Physics fun experiments; • How to revise. We had a fantastic turn out. It was great to see students motivated to find out how to make the best of Science in Year 11 and we are very grateful to parents who came along to find out how best to support their children. The Science Department would also like to thank our visitors: Ian Galloway from the Stimulating Physics Network and Amanda Humphries from Richard Taunton’s Sixth Form College for running sessions.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Creative Arts Department The ‘Big Draw’ event For the first time ever, Regents Park Community College has taken part in the ‘Big Draw’ event. All students created their own 8.5 x 8.5cm drawing, which represented something about

Art ambassadors On Wednesday 4th November, 12 Year 9 students visited Foundry Lane Primary school to participate in a collaborative Art project between our two schools. This was an exciting opportunity for them to extend their artistic and leadership skills helping support Year 3 students create Picasso portraits. Our students were outstanding ambassadors for our school and we would like to say a big thank you and well done to: Milly Dowse, Elwira Kilichowska, Kiran Buckle, Vishal Kasba, Mollie Knight, Mollie Higlett, Bobbie Miah, Rosie O’Shea, Sukhveer Kaur, Angel Freeman, Rhiannon Ford-Bailey, Lauren McAllister. We look forward to more opportunities like this. Innovative Art Mrs Selfe and Miss Alabaster took 7G2 out into the grounds of school during Art. The idea was to stretch students’ ability, imagination and creativity. They were given a large piece of card; a pot of water and a checklist of activities to complete. Then the fun began! Students searched for objects to use to create an image and explored different mark making techniques, using mud, leaves and twigs. It was absolutely fantastic to observe how the students worked, thinking outside the box and their final images were amazing. Well done to all students!

them. This took place in tutor time and the winners for the first tutor group in Key Stage 3 and 4 to hand in their drawings were BRANSON KH and ROWLING RJ. A massive well done to all tutor groups for all their hard work with this!

On the last week of half term the ‘Big Draw’ event took place in the hall. Every class and member of staff was invited down to the hall over a period of 4 days. Students copied their drawings onto large pieces of card, divided into a grid, with the school logo hidden behind. There was a real buzz in the room and calming music was played as students and staff got engrossed into their piece of art. As the week progressed the grid began to fill, showing a real community feel, capturing an insight of each individual. The finished piece is amazing. Well done to all the students and staff for achieving such a fantastic piece of art, for display in the hall. We look forward to continuing with the ‘Big Draw’ next year! Mrs Selfe and Mrs Flynn

The ‘X Factor’ The last academic year marked the first ever Regents Park ‘X Factor’ competition. Pupils from across all year groups took part and the standard of performances was very high. We are proud to announce that Phoebe Underhill, who is now in Year 8, was the overall winner of the show. However, everyone who was involved had a great time and the combined efforts of staff and students ensured the performances were a real success. Thank you to everyone involved in the process, and make sure to watch out for the ‘X Factor’ again in June 2016.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

European Day of Languages On Friday 25th September, RPCC joined the nation to celebrate European Day of Languages. The European Day of Languages is on the 26th September, as proclaimed by the Council of Europe on 6 December 2001, at the end of the European Year of Languages (2001), which had been jointly organised by the Council of Europe and the European Union. It aims to encourage language learning across Europe and celebrate cultural diversity. To celebrate, tutor groups were asked to produce a string of bunting demonstrating the themes of cultural and linguistic diversity as well as language learning. The winning tutor group was ROWLING ML, who won croissants for tutor time. Students and staff also kindly contributed sharing their experience of living and working abroad for tutor group quizzes and a display. Modern Foreign Languages

‘Dansez en Français’ On the 7th July, we were honoured to have a visit from international dancer and coach – Nicolas Inchelin, who came to teach a variety of routines to our Year 8 and 9 students and help host the ‘Dansez en Français’ event. The students had to follow instructions in French in order to show off their dance skills. It was a great event and students seemed to enjoy the challenge.

Paella At the end of last year, we invited 2 chefs to cook a famous Spanish dish for Year 7 students – paella. It was a real success as students and staff found the experience very pleasing to their taste buds. To add to the Mediterranean atmosphere, it was a beautifully hot day.

Boulogne In June, the MFL team took approximately 30 Year 7 students to Boulogne- sur-Mer, approximately half an hour’s drive from Calais. During the trip on the channel tunnel, we held our now obligatory ‘Spot the fish’ competition. The trip involved a walking tour of the town of Boulogne and gave students an opportunity to practise some French. All students enjoyed themselves and it was a great experience. They particularly enjoyed the treasure hunt activity and having the chance to do some shopping on French soil.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Physical Education Football This year has seen an incredibly demanding, yet successful, start to the Football season for RPCC. The first rounds of fixtures have been completed and the next round will commence when the evenings get lighter in February. There have been over 70 players regularly attending Football training led by: UEFA B qualified coach, Mr Game, Mr Hayward, Mr Makepeace and Mr Branford. All year groups have made successful starts to their campaigns. The Year 7 team are currently undefeated in the league while the Year 8, 9, 10 and 11 teams have faced stiff competition from their opponents; resulting in no game being won or lost by more than a goal or two. Overall, there have been some superb team performances. In September, 40 students were able to attend the annual Football Enrichment Day held at Tauntons College, where Mr Barge (head of their football academy) came out to see the boys in action. He noted how impressed he was with their technical ability and dedication. It was another successful day with a great outcome for all involved.

Sports Leaders qualification This term has seen the introduction of the Sports Leaders UK Level 1 qualification to 32 budding new leaders in Years 9 and 10. Students have enjoyed developing their knowledge of leadership and expanding their skills through a variety of different activities in preparation to deliver their own planned sessions to primary schools in January. Inter-tutor tournaments On 4th December the PE Champions hosted Year 7 and 8 students in their annual inter-tutor group Dodge Ball and Water Polo tournaments. This involved all students from each of the tutor groups competing in one or the other in an ‘all play all’ format.

Gymnastics Gala On Sunday 6th December, Regents Park was represented by a team of gymnasts in the Southampton Gymnastics Club’s annual Gym Gala at

Southampton Guildhall. The group practiced very hard for their performance and for some of them this was their

first gymnastics display – look out for news of the results and images from the event in our next newsletter.

Are you ready for a challenge? As a school we are taking on an exciting challenge. We are going to attempt to ‘Swim to Rio’ in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games. If you come along to swim fit sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday before school, or Thursday after school, we will record how many lengths you swim. This will then contribute to the school’s total. If you wish to get involved, you can get details from the PE team of an app that you can download which will chart our progress against other schools across the country taking part in the same challenge.

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The Regents Review Winter 2015

Departmental News

Humanities Geography

A View from the RPCC History Representatives This year the History Department has employed some of our own students to work alongside them as History Representatives to make the department even stronger and here is what a member of the team had to share: ‘It’s great being a History Representative because, not only do you get to work closely with the History Department, but you also help to organise events such as Open Evening and Historical trips too. Being a History Representative comes with lots of responsibility as you have to represent the department, teachers and the school. It’s like being the voice of the History Department. We discuss things such as what needs to change and what we can do to stand out as a History Department. It means we have a voice and are also having fun with each other whilst working together at meetings and events. Being a History Representative is Representative Team wanted to show what we have to offer here at Regents Park. We had lots of meetings prior to the evening and we eventually decided to go with showing the future Year 7s what they could be learning. Misbah Ahmed and Isabel Brewer – 2 members of the team – chose to display Martin Luther King’s iconic speech: ‘I have a dream…’ by asking visitors to write their own dreams. No surprise that being a unicorn was in high demand! Bobbie Miah and Mollie Knight both volunteered to be King Charles II and Oliver Cromwell respectively, arch enemies fighting right at our classroom door – for those of you that don’t know, Oliver Cromwell led the execution of King Charles I – King Charles II’s father. Alice Simms and I chose to talk to parents and discuss in more depth about learning History at our school. We were pleased to be able to do this with the help of our History teachers: Mrs Blake, Miss Dunn and last, but not least, Mrs O’Brien. On behalf of the History Representative Team, I would like to thank them for their consistent support and we hope to be involved in an event like this again. We want to show that History isn’t just about learning the lives of ‘dead people’ but fun and we are all friendly and helpful. On Opening Evening, everyone in the History

It has been a busy time in Geography and Year 11 students have been out of school carrying out an exciting fieldwork assignment in the New Forest. All students worked incredibly well and lots of data was collected for their impending controlled assessments.

Portchester Castle Another exciting event in the History Department was Year 7’s trip to Portchester Castle. Alissa Ballard had this to say: ‘On October 1st 2015 around 100 Year 7’s went to Portchester Castle in Fareham. The first place we went to was the top of the castle. It felt like we had been climbing forever before we finally reached the windy roof. Looking down from the roof we saw amazing views. We saw lovely green gardens that were busy and full of playful and excited children learning about ancient England. Mrs Blake, Mrs O’Brien, Miss Dunn, Mrs Bradley and Mr Farrell gave us a tour of the castle and gave us activity packs to fill in as we were going around. We learned lots of interesting facts about Portchester Castle: for example that it was built in the late 11th century, a long time before even our teachers were born! Then we had time to play in the sunshine by the sea. After lunch we played in the wet and slimy moat, which was originally dug to give the King extra protection from invaders. Some of us got very muddy! We had a quick

look in the gift shop before we went back to school. This was the best first trip at secondary school!’ Alissa Ballard, 7 Parks JG

so much more…’ Khudeja Begum, 9 Parks KGR

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