Newsletter, December 2015

December 2015
Getting better all the time...
English: levels of progress
Each new Year 11 group is determined to build on the successes
of the previous one. Our students fully understand the importance
of going the extra mile and year on year improvements are clear.
‘Success, learning, progress ... and no excuses’ is the mantra of all
students in all year groups, but this is particularly prevalent in Year 11.
Maths: levels of progress
Almost half of the year group have opted to come to school
on Saturday mornings to benefit from extra tuition, to revise together...
and to enjoy bacon sandwiches! Sixth Form students have asked to
benefit from the opportunity and have joined Year 11 in their mission
to excel.
We want to wish our Sixth Form students who have their Oxbridge
interviews shortly every success. We know they will enter these
top universities proud to be from The Pingle School.
Please do come along and join us at our
‘Festival of Carols and Readings’ being held
at St George and St Mary’s Church in Church
Gresley on Monday 14 December at 7.00pm.
Thank you to all parents, carers, staff, Governors and the wider
community for your excellent support for our school and our students
during 2015. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry
Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Mrs Sharples
Headteacher
Forthcoming Events:
Year 7 Parents’/Carers’ Evening: Tuesday 8 December, 4.30-7.00pm
Festival of Carols: Monday 14 December, 7.00pm at St George & St Mary’s Church
Celebration of Success: Tuesday 15 December, 6.30pm
Non-Uniform Day: Friday 18 December - wear your Christmas jumper and/or hat!
School re-opens after Christmas holidays: Monday 4 January 2016
PTFA Meeting: Thursday 14 January, 6.00pm - all welcome
French Day: Friday 15 January - wear red, white and blue
Year 9 Options Evening: Thursday 21 January, 6.00-7.30pm
Nasser Signs a Deal with Pingle!
Footballer Nasser El Khayati, Burton Albion’s Dutch striker, signed his latest
deal ahead of the Brewer’s first ever season in League One.
Staff and students raised money by having a non-uniform day to sponsor
the 26 year old forward.
Mrs Holland, Head of Social Studies, said of the deal, “Nasser came to school
at the end of last season and was an instant hit with the students when he
taught a language lesson. We noticed he didn’t have a player sponsor and
negotiated our own deal with the club. Once Nasser had signed his new two
year playing contract our deal could be announced.”
Nasser added, “Every other player has a local company as a sponsor but for
me to be sponsored by the students and staff at a school is really special. It’s extra special because
I have visited the school and it now really feels like ‘my school’. I read the match day programme in
the build up to every game and I can now see that ‘my school’ is getting right behind me and I’m
really pleased about that.”
The sponsorship will see the school in the match day programme player sponsor section each game.
Mrs Holland went on to say, “The relationship with the club and the charity arm of Burton Albion
Football Club is something that is important to us here at The Pingle School. Sponsoring Nasser
seems a logical extension to that relationship and we are looking forward to seeing him at school
throughout the coming season. We also wish all of the players the best of luck in League 1.”
Chemistry Students Visit Loughborough University
An insightful visit to a world renowned university in September gave us a good idea of what student
life would be like at Loughborough University.
We explored the vast Chemistry Department, which can have 55 students in one laboratory and took
part in the challenging ‘Iodine Clock’ experiment. This is traditionally done with new undergraduate
students. We used our initiative, built on our knowledge and worked in teams in competition with
one another. Adam Bale even learnt how to take his gloves off properly!
In the afternoon, we had a tour of the campus, which has excellent facilities. It was a great day out
experiencing a university. Thank you to the helpful staff and students at Loughborough University
as well as our own Mr Sephton and Mrs Howes.
By Year 13 Chemists
Open Evenings
We were delighted to welcome students, parents, carers
and members of the local community to see what The Pingle
School is like on the inside!
Our students are always enthusiastic about sharing
their knowledge of the school with others and staff enjoy
meeting everyone and talking about their specialist subject.
Both evenings were very busy and we all look forward
to seeing many new faces in September 2016.
If you didn’t get the chance to visit and would like to see our school in action, please contact the
school to arrange a visit.
Chatsworth House
On Friday 16 October, 6 students from Year 10 had the opportunity to visit
Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, to take part in ‘ARTiculation Discovery Day’.
We were joined by Beth Greenfield, Reece Hughes, Travis Wilkinson and Sam
Wileman. First, we had a tour of the house, where we admired the sculptures
and artwork. After the tour we were split into groups where we did research about a piece of artwork.
During this event we gained communication skills as we were
working with students from other Derbyshire schools.
We were excited to meet the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire
and had the chance to do a presentation to them about the lovely
items that were around their home.
Thank you to Mrs Foster and Mrs Tomlin. We had such a great day!
By Chloe Brown and Adele White, Year 10
Stepping Stones to GCSE Success!
On Activity Day, Year 9 students had the opportunity to take part in
a ‘GCSE Geography Taster Day’. The aim of the day was to complete
a variety of tasks similar to those that will be undertaken for fieldwork
at GCSE. 46 students signed up for the challenge and we headed off
to Dovedale in the Peak District.
In Dovedale, students were expected to complete a facilities survey and
a field-sketch showing physical features of the river landscape. In addition
to this was the ascent of the infamous Thorpe Cloud. All the students made
it to the summit and back down again safely, although some had to conquer
their fear of heights to do so, which was all the more impressive.
A safe and dry crossing of the River Dove via the stepping stones
was also accomplished. This was followed by a brisk walk back
to the main car park, stopping for a lunch break, where the warm
October weather tempted some into buying an ice cream.
We then went to Ashbourne town centre to tackle the human
elements of the fieldwork programme. The students were looking
for evidence of the impact of globalisation on the
shops and facilities of the town. They were also
investigating ways that Ashbourne could rebrand
itself to attract more visitors. We all had an
enjoyable and a successful day.
The Geography Team would like to thank the students
for all their hard work and physical perseverance.
We hope to see all of you in September starting the
course!
By Mr Nash, Head of Geography
London Museums
In October, the Art Department staff took Year 10, 12 and 13 students to London. Year 12 and 13
students visited The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery and The Tate Britain. They were
able to view many different types of artwork, including the unusual sculpture by Marc Quinn, which
is a cast of the artist’s own head - filled with blood and then frozen. They also saw the famous
unmade bed by Tracy Emin.
The Year 10 students visited The British Museum,
where part of ‘Night at the Museum 3’ was filmed.
They were able to complete observational studies
of artefacts from other places and cultures.
By Mrs Taylor, Head of Art and Technology
Selfie with a Cuppa!
Sixth Form students joined the latest charity brainchild of Motor Neurone
Disease campaigner, Pete Collins, to drink tea at break time.
Ms Wilson, Head of Sixth Form said, “We have supported Pete for a number
of years. He comes to school to talk to the students about his campaigning
and motivation and drive behind his fundraising. We were only too happy
to have Pete in again, to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease with
the Sixth Form students and for us to join in the tea drinking.”
Pete went on to say, “It was fantastic to have The Pingle School involved
in the SelfTea4MND campaign. To be able to come in to talk with the Sixth
Form students about Motor Neurone Disease itself and the impact it can
have on a person and those around them is vital in raising awareness. It
was overwhelming to see them all buying a cup of tea and donating to the
cause on their break time. They have given the campaign a real boost.”
The SelfTea4MND campaign, since 1 September 2015,
has raised around £5000 for the Motor Neurone
Disease Association and a great deal of awareness.
The idea behind the campaign is simple: make a cup
of tea, take a selfie with your mug (a SelfTea4MND),
upload your photo to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
and nominate others to get involved. People can then
donate by texting TMND55 to 70070 or on
www.justgiving.com/tea4mnd.
We raised £82!
LSB Students
Golf Coaching
13 students from the Learning Support Base are currently
attending the New N1 Golf Teaching Academy at The Golf
Centre, William Nadin Way, Swadlincote, for golf lessons with
PGA professional golfer, Graeme Long. They are hoping to
learn how to hold the club and hit the ball correctly in a
straight line.
Adventure at Rosliston
The LSB students went to Rosliston Forestry
Centre on Activity Day. They took part in
archery, cycling and orienteering. They all had
a good time and would like to thank Derbyshire
Community Sport for organising this for them.
Numeracy Day at Pirelli Stadium
Number loving Year 7 students headed down to the Pirelli
Stadium for a maths lesson with a difference. As well as their
usual teachers, students had maths lessons taught by staff
from Burton Albion Community Trust, in a bid to bring football
and maths together. The activities were all based on the
football club to show the students how important maths is
in everyday life.
Mrs Parker, Director of Maths said, “Maths is a subject used
in every job and all the way through life. The activities were
designed to show the students how important the skills they
learn with us are and how they will be used throughout their lives.”
Aaron Savva, Education Manager, at Burton Albion Community
Trust, added, “Every person at Burton Albion Football Club and
the Trust will have to use maths, from the groundsman, the
Chairman, to the coaches and the manager. We have laid a new
pitch, bought and sold players and have introduced a new ticketing
system recently; all of these will involve maths in some way. It is
the maths we all learn at school that we put to use. The idea of a numeracy day was to show
students that using numbers is a way to solve problems and where better to do that than at a
football stadium.”
Student Amiee Boyce, added, “Maths is my favourite subject and it was good to go to Burton Albion
for our maths lessons. Seeing how you can use maths in the real world is really good. I liked how
the tasks on the day showed how maths can be used in different areas of the club.”
Year 7s Visit Whitby
On Thursday 22 October we left school at 7.45am to go
to Whitby for the day. Following a 3½ hour coach ride,
we arrived and split up into two groups, one visiting the
Abbey and one went on a boat. The boat was named
the Bark Endeavour and the trip out to sea was choppy,
but on the return to the harbour it was calm and soothing
and made us feel sleepy.
Our lunchtime food was fabulous, but someone lost a
sausage as it was taken by a seagull! We also went to the Dracula experience; it was pretty scary
and very dark. We also had time to visit some shops and an arcade. We did some drama in the
grounds of the Abbey, walking up and back down the 199 steps.
Although we had another
long journey home, we all
had a great time.
By Katie Ash, Year 7
Camp 2015
Towards the end of the summer term Year 7 students have
the opportunity to spend a few days camping in the Peak
District. Here are some of their comments:
“School camp was one of the highlights of being in Year 7!
Despite a short rain shower, we were able to go down the
specially prepared water slide and when we were sitting
around the campfire we had melted marshmallows.
We walked for miles in open fields and did even more
miles on bicycles. We even had the chance to go shopping.
Overall I had a great time telling jokes, ghost stories and
having a laugh with everyone.” Keely Stone
“Thank you for taking me to camp. It was a great
experience for everyone to be outside with friends and
enjoying themselves. Spooky stories were told around the
campfire as people sipped on their hot chocolate, and in the
day we went into the town to buy little souvenirs and some
sweets. In addition, we went on bike rides and walks to see
the beautiful animals, churches and the countryside. Camp
was brilliant, my friends and I would definitely go again,
but watch out for the beetles!” Abigail Brackstone
“Camp was awesome! It was fun
making lots of new friends. Doing
the chores was a bit more realistic
though.” Ethan Williams
Pingle Plus
“I am now the Senior Leadership Team link for the High Prior Attainers and our Pingle Plus Students.
There are some exciting developments that are now in place for our more able
students. One of these developments is membership of the national charity
Potential Plus UK that provides valuable information and resources to help
support the acceleration of progress of students with exceptional talents and
abilities. Furthermore, we have our Pingle Plus Mentors in place this year who
will support your children and help keep them engaged and motivated on their
journey to excellence.
If you would like to discuss any issues regarding Pingle Plus, then please do not
hesitate to contact me.” Mr Rollins, Assistant Headteacher
Pingle’s 50th Anniversary
At the end of the summer term we began the celebration
of our 50th year with a day of special events with our
students and by inviting staff and students from Pingle’s
past.
Pingle opened as the Swadlincote County Secondary
School in September 1965. Wandering down memory
lane with us were former teachers Phil Riley, Alan
Bradshaw, Mick Darby and Terry Crabtree. We were also
joined by Andrew Bridgen MP, who was Head Boy at our
school in the 1980s and the current chairman of South
Derbyshire District Council, Neil Atkin and his consort Mrs Barbara James.
Community groups which support the school were also at the celebration
and representatives from Burton YMCA, Burton Albion Community Trust
and South Derbyshire Sports Partnership joined local Councillors Paul
Dunn and Gordon Rhind.
Mrs Sharples, Headteacher, said “I feel very proud to be Headteacher
of The Pingle School at the time of our 50th anniversary. I am extremely
proud of our students and grateful to staff, parents and carers, governors
and the local community for supporting our school. We look forward to
many more celebrations throughout the year.”
If you missed the celebration and would like to be involved with the next one, please contact
Mrs Wagstaff, PA to the Headteacher.
Social Studies
In PSHE lessons we
are working with
Burton Albion
Community Trust to
deliver lessons on
the topics of cyber
bullying and racial
awareness. This
forms part of our joint partnership with Wayne Chadfield from BACT,
who is delivering lessons alongside our teachers to Year 7 students.
As part of Derby Hate Crime Week, we once again attended the Derbyshire Police Commissioner’s
Crime Summit at Derby University, with a group of Year 10 Sociology students who study crime as
part of their GCSE. Following our visit, Alan Charles, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire
wrote to us and said “I was very impressed by your students on the day and the contribution they
made in the group discussions and participation work.”
Hate crime is defined as a crime that the victim or any other person
perceives to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards any
aspect of a person’s identity such as race, disability, religion, sexual
orientation or gender identity.
Tie-Dyeing
On Activity Day a group of Year 7 students joined Mrs Peberdy and created
some stunning tie-dyed shirts. It was a very successful session and the
Year 7s involved thoroughly enjoyed it.
Please remember, when washing your t-shirt use a cool or wool cycle in the
washing machine.
Pictured are: Amy Harrison and Shelby White
Villiers Park
During the first week of September, I was given the
extraordinary opportunity to attend Villiers Park, an
educational trust run with the University of Cambridge.
For me, it was a brilliant opportunity to study and to
experience some time at a university. I made some great
new friends and learnt so much that will help me at degree
level. I would encourage anyone looking at further
education to consider one of the Villiers Park programmes.
By Tommy Pitcher, Year 13
Summer School at Burton Albion FC
During the summer holidays, students looking forward to joining The Pingle School in the new term,
were invited to the Pirelli Stadium, home of League one debutants, Burton Albion Football Club, to
meet the Dutch striker, Nasser El Khayati and take part in maths lessons.
Aaron Savva, Education Manager, at the community arm of the Club said, “Numeracy days at the
football club are becoming a regular activity for the students at The Pingle School and the children
on the summer school were able to see just how much everyone at the club uses maths in our day
to day jobs. It is good to bring the subject to life here at the Pirelli Stadium.”
Mrs Holland, Head of Social Studies, went on to say, “We recently signed our own sponsorship deal
with Nasser and we were delighted that he could
join us to help out with the maths lessons. He is
a brilliant ambassador for the club; the students
love him and he’s pretty good at maths as well.
The annual summer school is designed to ease the
transition between primary and secondary school.
The programme offered focuses on numeracy and
literacy as well as the students becoming used to
a new school.”
Thank you to the staff and Sixth Form students
who give up their free time to help out!
Drayton Manor Park
“A day of pure fun whilst testing our independence.
Rides at Drayton Manor Park include Shockwave,
Storm Force 10, G Force and my personal favourite,
The Rapids. What an amazing day! Thank you to all
the teachers who came with us.”
By Lauren Talbot, Year 10
De Montfort University
As the university application deadline drew closer, Leicester based De Montfort
University visited our Year 13 Sixth Form students to help make final changes
to their applications. Staff from De Montfort’s outreach programme offered
one to one assistance to the students and many took the opportunity to let
the experts take a final look.
Charity Events
Our fundraising efforts so far this term:
Jess Norton and friends raised £1060 for the Intensive Care
Unit at Derby Hospital with a cake sale and non-uniform day.
For Macmillan Cancer, a staff coffee morning raised £110.
Cakes were also sold by Year 10 students Emily Allcote,
Charlotte Bourne and Sharley Hylton; £40 will be donated
to Parkinson’s Disease.
Pictured are: Ellie-Mae Burns, Jess Norton,
Toby Brown and Jordan Henri
The Pamper/Christmas Fair event organised by the PTFA raised £500.
We have also received lots of toiletry
products and jumpers for the refugee appeal.
THANK YOU!