The Ashbeian - Ashby School

The Ashbeian
A Specialist Technology
and Languages College
Issue 9 - March 2008
The Hands-on Issue: Ashby Students Get Stuck in and Get a Headstart
Page Contents
It’s Another World!
2
Feedback from France
Forensic crime-busting, army survival skills and sports massage replaced
regular lessons at Ashby School – when students were given a hands-on
introduction to the world of work.
3
Students queue for Free
Food Friday
4
Prize giving celebrates
GCSE success
5
Clean sweep for Student
Support Unit
6
Harriet hits the high notes
7
Faculty Focus – English/
Humanities/Maths
8
Talking Heads
Experts from a range of professions – including chefs, soldiers, beauticians
and mechanics – spent an afternoon at the school to showcase their skills and
encourage students to have a go.
The ‘World of Work’ afternoon featured cookery demonstrations, army bushcraft
training, jewellery making and a crash course in radio broadcasting.
Teacher Matt Hall, who organised the hands-on afternoon, said: “It was a huge
success and the feedback from students was brilliant. The Scenes of Crime
Officer was particularly popular – students were taking each other’s fingerprints
and dusting down work surfaces for evidence!
“Overall, it provided students with a very beneficial experience and made a
refreshing change from researching their careers on the internet or looking in
careers magazines. It was a superb real life opportunity!”
John Sketchley, of Carillon Radio, who gave students an introduction to
broadcasting, said: “The reaction from students was fantastic. Since the session,
we have had four students sign up for a 12-week training course in radio
broadcasting. Practical experience like this can be invaluable for young people
when they are trying to get a foot in the door of their chosen career.”
All 500 students involved also heard from Jim Rees, an endurance athlete and
motivational speaker whose mission is ‘to inspire others to believe in their own
greatness and… to do more, be more and have more in their lives’.
Students Amy Chessman
(left) and Louise Adcock
work with a forensic Scenes
of Crime Officer, Oliver Mott.
Diary dates
• 17-19 March
Year 12 Geography residential visit
• 20 March
School closes at 3.05pm for Easter break
• 7 April
School reopens
• 17 April
Year 13 Psychology trip
• 22 Apr il
Year 13 History conference
• 5 May
School closed for May Day Bank Holiday
• 8 May
Higher Education evening for Year 12
• 9 May Year 11 ball
• 15 May
Awards evening
Page The Ashbeian
French Students See the Sights
View from the Top
It’s been an interesting term so far.
In the week before half-term, Ashby
School played host to five Ofsted
inspectors, who were all looking at
different aspects of the school’s work.
One inspector came to look at the
initial teacher training (ITT) carried out
at Ashby in partnership with Leicester
University. A second appraised PE
while a third came to see Design
Technology in action. A further two
inspected School House – the school’s
boarding facility.
All five inspectors came from different branches of Ofsted.
Following their visit, inspectors classed School House as
‘outstanding’, making it one of the country’s highest rated state
boarding schools.
Much of the work and provision in PE and Design Technology was
also classed as ‘outstanding’. The few elements not scoring this
rating were ranked as ‘good’.
The ITT inspection was part of a wider inspection of teacher
training at Leicester University. We are still awaiting the results.
We were extremely pleased with Ofsted’s view of our students
and their work. We have high standards and expect students to
do well.
Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 will sit their final GCSE, AS and
A2 exams after Easter. Staff are working very hard to ensure they
have the guidance and support they need at this important time.
Revision notes, extra lessons and after-school sessions are being
provided. We want all students to reach their full potential and
feel proud of their achievements.
Information about coursework deadlines, revision sessions and
other useful course dates and details is available on the school
website by clicking on ‘Subject Information’ at the bottom of the
home page.
Prized Students Get Awards
Maisie Fraser (centre left) and Fay Hickson (centre right)
with their French host students.
Languages students swapped Ashby for cheese-tasting, mountain
climbing and sight-seeing in France during a visit to their partner
school.
Twenty-four students from Years 11, 12 and 13 travelled to
Romans-sur-Isere in February to spend time at Ashby’s partner
school and explore the area.
During the week-long visit, they stayed with the families of French
students from the Romans school.
The week included a day in Lyon, one of France’s oldest cities,
and a shopping trip to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres.
Students also called at a cheese farm to taste locally-produced
cheese and were given a guided tour of Romans, stopping at the
international shoe museum.
Teacher Nick Fitzpatrick said: “It was a great opportunity for
students to practice their French and visit places of local interest.”
And Here’s the Science...
Star student Thomas Maccalman is celebrating after scoring
50 marks out of 50 on all six of his GCSE Core Science modules.
Thomas sat the first three GCSE modules while at Ibstock
Community College and the final three in November.
Too Many Cooks Are A Good Thing
Ashby School is encouraging students to learn the art of cookery
– by launching its first after-school cookery club.
Two prize-giving ceremonies have been held to celebrate the
achievements of Ashby School’s highly successful GCSE students.
The club has been set up by new Food Technology teacher Sarah
Middleton, in response to conversations with parents.
This was the first time that the school had held a prize-giving
ceremony dedicated to GCSE success.
The focus is not on cooking meals but on teaching basic culinary
skills, such as making pastry, pasta, sauces, soups and dressings.
In previous years, awards to students from all years have been
presented at the school’s annual awards evening in May.
Ms Middleton said: “The idea initially came from parents of
students who are considering catering college. But the club has
also attracted students who have no interest in catering as a
career. They just want to learn to cook. It is a skill that students will
use for the rest of their lives.”
Teacher Sue Sibson, who co-ordinated the prize-giving, said:
“In the past, there have been just two awards to recognise
achievements at GCSE – for the girl and the boy with the best
GCSE results.
“The two ceremonies in January were an opportunity to present
examination certificates to all our GCSE students and to celebrate
their impressive achievements at GCSE.”
In 2007, 71 per cent of GCSE passes at Ashby School were at
grades A* - C.
A full list of award winners can be found in the ‘News’ section of
the school website.
Page The club’s launch follows the Government’s announcement that
cookery lessons are to be made compulsory in secondary schools
by 2011 for all children aged 11 – 14.
It is hoped that extra lessons in cookery will help to improve the
nation’s health and reduce the problem of obesity.
Ms Middleton added: “If students learn basic cookery skills – as
they do at Cookery Club - then they are more likely to cook their
own meals. That is important.”
The cookery club takes place on Mondays after school from 3.05 – 4.15pm.
Ashby School Needs YOU!
Musicians, sports leaders and others are being asked to share
their skills with children of all ages – as part of Ashby’s Extended
Schools programme.
Ashby School is working with Ivanhoe College and the town’s
primary schools to create an out-of-hours network of clubs and
services for children and their families.
Students Vote with their
Feet on Free Food Friday
It is hoped that the network will boost children’s involvement in a
range of areas, including culture, sport and play.
To achieve this, Ashby’s schools are looking to recruit local people
willing to share their expertise with pupils – whether it is in
drama, sport, music or another activity.
Gus Colquhoun, Extended Schools Co-ordinator for the Ashby
Family of Schools, said: “It is well known that children are more
likely to succeed if they are healthy, confident and well-motivated.
Extending the range of services offered by schools in Ashby
will help children to get involved, boost their confidence, and
encourage more positive attitudes to learning.”
The scheme is also designed to give parents greater choice and
flexibility when juggling work and family life.
Research shows that extended services help to boost student
achievement, attendance and motivation. They have also been
found to reduce exclusion rates and help children and families to
gain easier access to services, such as study support.
By 2010, all children should have access to a range of Extended
Schools services in and around their school.
Anyone interested in running a small activity session – for
primary or secondary age pupils – should contact Gus Colquhoun
on mobile 07511 654692 or by email at g.colquhoun@
ivanhoecollege.leics.sch.uk
Sessions can take place before or after school, or during school
holidays. Volunteers may receive a payment for their services.
Buon appetito
Picking up free food and advice are Melissa Gardner (left)
and Kelly Townsend.
Sixth Formers at Ashby School are being given a tasty incentive to
socialise and snack together – by flocking to Free Food Friday.
The introduction of Free Food Friday has proved so popular that
scores of Sixth Formers queue at break time every Friday for free
fodder and a chat.
Free Food Friday was set up by teacher Malcolm Salt a year ago.
It gives students the chance to pick up not only platefuls of toast,
cakes, biscuits and muffins; they can also collect information and
advice about their studies and future career plans.
Sixth Former Rebecca Weir said: “Everyone loves Free Food Friday
– it’s great. It’s the highlight of our week. It’s just for Sixth Formers
so it makes us feel special.”
During a typical break time, students devour 20 packets of
biscuits, 50 muffins and 50 sausage rolls, along with cakes, currant
buns, cocktail sausages, cookies and other treats. They can choose
to ‘eat in’ or ‘take out’.
At Christmas, Sixth Formers were treated to a festive Free Food
Friday, when Mr Salt dressed as Santa to serve up seasonal snacks.
Getting a pizza the action are (left to right) Kirsty Baxter,
Shalini
Malhotra and Amy Jackson.
An Italian flavour was added to mealtime when the school’s main
restaurant was transformed into an Italian eaterie for a day.
Mr Salt, who is in charge of the school’s Gifted and Talented
programme, said: “Free Food Friday is a good point of contact for
Sixth Formers. It is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to them for all the
hard work. They can also pick up any literature they need or ask questions.”
Students chose from a menu of Italian favourites, including pasta
in basilico sauce, lasagne, tagliatelle carbonara and hot crepes
with ice cream.
Menus were translated into Italian by languages students.
The Italian day – which saw the restaurant decked out in flags and
bunting - was the first of a series of international-themed lunches
designed to bring a global dimension to all areas of school life.
Page The Ashbeian
Dragons Test Students in the Den
Popular TV show
‘Dragons’ Den’ was recreated at Ashby School
– when budding young
entrepreneurs pitched
their investment ideas to
local business people.
Soap Far, Soap Good
A leading soap
manufacturer from
Ashby has splashed
out – by helping
students to make their
own luxury soap.
Standard Soap – which
makes top quality
soap for high street
stores and designer
brands - donated soapmaking materials to
Ashby School’s Student
Support Unit (SSU).
Since then, students
from the SSU have
made their own
spearmint and orange
soap, following stepby-step instructions.
Joanna Kukowska and Monika Drost
work
on their luxury soap.
The soap-making exercise included calculating ingredients and
using mathematical skills to work out production costs and profit
margins.
Nineteen students from
Years 12 and 13 left the
comfort of the classroom
to enter the den,
presenting ideas they had
devised as part of their A
level studies in Systems
Technology.
Eventual winners Curtis Staple (left) and
Kai
Gruber prepare to face the dragons.
Before going head-to-head with the dragons, some had obtained
samples of raw materials from America, while others had
approached would-be suppliers, distributors and partners to try
and strike deals.
After listening to a short presentation on each potential business
opportunity, the dragons were asked to decide whether they
would be willing to bankroll the project with their own cash.
Although there was no real money at stake, the dragons treated
the students’ business propositions as genuine investment
opportunities.
The school’s SSU was set up in 2006 to help struggling students
improve their prospects. Students enrolled in the unit have often
missed long periods at school, because of ill health or other
reasons.
Ideas included a portable MP3 player that could be recharged
using kinetic and solar energy; a new range of bio-degradable
plastic cartons; technology to increase bandwidth for telecoms
providers; and a retractable dog lead that included a range of
useful accessories.
Tracy Price, Teaching Assistant in the SSU, said: “The soap-making
project was very worthwhile. It helped the students to develop
new skills and confidence which will help them both in the
classroom and the workplace.
Dragon Peter Bourne, of Ariam Media, said: “The quality of the
students’ presentations was uniformly high. They had confidence
in their products and their work. Making a decision on whether or
not to invest was difficult.”
“In the SSU, we try to prepare students for life after school by
giving them an insight into, and hands-on experience of, the
world of work. We are very grateful to Standard Soap for giving
us the materials and sharing the expertise that made this project
possible.”
Winners Curtis Staple and Kai Gruber were presented with £60
of shopping vouchers after impressing the dragons with their
rechargeable MP3 player.
Ambitious Ashby is Investor in People
Ashby School is planning to recreate the ‘Dragons’ Den’ again next year.
Ashby School has been praised for refusing to ‘rest on its laurels
and driving towards increasingly ambitious levels of achievement’.
The comments were made by an independent assessor for
Investors in People (IIP) who renewed Ashby School’s Investors in
People Standard ‘without hesitation’.
As part of the IIP assessment, 32 staff were interviewed about
issues such as school leadership, forward planning and personal
development opportunities.
In his final report, the assessor said: “The Senior Leadership Team
clearly is not prepared to rest on its laurels and continues to drive
the School to increasingly ambitious levels of achievement.
“The approach that the school takes to leadership is exemplary…
The Headteacher has vision; she knows where she wishes to take
the School and how it should get there.”
To make the experience even more realistic, students were filmed
giving their presentations – just like contestants on the BBC show.
Harriet Hits the High Notes
A young singer from Ashby School has won the chance to
perform with the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony
Orchestra.
Harriet Eyley, 16, of Blackfordby, will sing as a soloist with the
Symphony Orchestra to an audience of more than 500 people
this summer. Harriet was awarded the honour after winning the
Birmingham Conservatoire’s Junior Concerto Trials in November.
Soprano Harriet, who plays violin, harp and piano, will perform
Michaela’s Aria from ‘Carmen’.
In November, Harriet also picked up first prize in the prestigious
Junior Recital Contest, organised by the Association of English
Singers and Speakers for 14 – 19-year-old solo performers.
Since then, she has reached the final of a competition to find
Leicestershire’s most outstanding young musicians, organised
by the REACH Community Sponsorship Initiative. Harriet will be
one of 12 performers to contest the final at Leicester University in
March.
Page Becky Hopes to Become Miss Dance
A rising star from
Ashby School is
hoping to dance
her way to the top
in 2008 – when
she competes for
the title of Miss
Dance of Great
Britain.
Becky hopes to add the Miss Dance title to her
collection
of trophies and awards.
(Photograph courtesy of Burton Mail).
Becky Preston,
17, of Ashby,
will compete
against dancers
from across the
country in the
final of Miss
Dance GB 2008 in
Blackpool in June.
Becky clinched
her place in the
final after wowing
judges in the
regional heats last summer.
One of James’s biggest responsibilities is looking after dog Dylan,
who requires medicated baths for sensitive skin. Every month,
James spends £30 on Dylan’s shampoo alone.
James said: “Looking after animals is not as easy as people think
– and it can be expensive. Anyone who is thinking of getting a pet
should be absolutely sure that they can look after it properly.”
Anyone interested in adopting an unwanted animal or making
a donation towards James’s animal care costs can contact his
mother, Helen Mason, on 07813 403913.
Father and Son Go for Gold
In November 2007, Becky rounded off an outstanding 12 months
by being named Leicestershire Senior Tap Champion for the third
consecutive year.
In October, she won her first Two Counties Senior Modern
Championship – just a month after becoming East Midlands
Senior Ballet Champion.
Becky, who has been dancing since the age of five, said: “I
definitely want to be a dancer when I leave school. To be
successful, you have to enjoy dancing and work at it. If you don’t
enjoy it, there is no point.”
Becky, who is a member of Tindles Dance School, dances six days
a week.
James and the Giant Pet Rescue
A young animal lover who cares for more than 90 unwanted pets
has been praised by teachers.
James Mason, 15, of Ravenstone, took in his first pet – a rabbit
called Jessica which he still owns – when he was just 10-years-old.
Since then, he has rescued an assortment of unwanted animals
and now has 30 rabbits, six dogs, six cats, 19 hens, four cockerels,
eight hamsters and 22 guinea pigs.
Teacher Malcolm Salt has been so impressed by James’s
commitment that he now sponsors James £10 a week to help
cover his animal care costs.
James spends two hours every morning feeding the animals,
followed by another four hours after school walking dogs and
cleaning out hutches.
To pay for animal feed and vets’ bills, James does odd jobs at
weekends, including walking other people’s dogs.
Mr Salt said: “James deserves some recognition for all the hard
work he puts into caring for these animals. Without him, many of
them would have very uncertain futures.”
James Muller (left) with Dad, Paul.
A former Ashby School student has received his Gold Duke of
Edinburgh Award at St James’s Palace - 29 years after his Dad
collected the same award.
James Muller, 18, of Thringstone, made the journey to London to
collect his Gold Award from the Duke of Edinburgh in February,
accompanied by his Dad, Paul.
James, who completed his award during his time at Ashby
School, said: “I don’t know how unusual it is for a father and son
to achieve Gold but it was my Dad’s award that drove me on to
reach the same standard. It is partly because of him that I decided
to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.”
To gain his Gold award, James completed a series of challenges,
including a four-day, 50-mile hike through wilderness terrain. He
also helped at his local Scout group.
James added: “The award scheme helps you to develop so
much as a person particularly in terms of confidence, leadership,
teamwork and ability to adapt to new situations. Above all, it is
really fun.”
Dad Paul said: “I feel particularly pleased that James was
motivated to persevere and see it through to the end. I am
looking forward to being a proud dad when James gets his award
from Prince Philip.”
James, who left Ashby School with three A levels in the summer of
2007, is now studying Law at Durham.
Page The Ashbeian
The next book group meeting will focus on ‘The Interpretation of
Murder’ by Jed Rubenfeld on Monday 7 April.
Faculty Focus
If the group continues to be a success, it may be extended to Years
10 and 11 next year.
English
Humanities
Psychology
Psychology students will travel to Sheffield this term to watch
the touring version of ‘Equus’ – a production which examines the
psychological behaviour of a boy who has tortured several horses.
To help prepare for their final exams, Year 13 students will take
part in a revision-based conference at the University of Leicester.
The third annual conference will be planned and delivered by
Leicestershire Psychology teachers, including Mrs Sekhon and Mrs
Dakin from Ashby School.
Experiments by Year 13 students unearthed fascinating results
about helpfulness, revealing that girls are more likely to offer help
than boys, and that individuals are more likely to help out than
groups of people.
Champion speakers (left to right) Chris Sargeantson,
Anand Srivastava and James Rucinski.
Speaking Up
Three students from Ashby School talked their way through to the
semi-finals of a regional public speaking competition.
Chris Sargeantson, James Rucinski and Anand Srivastava won the
quarter finals of the Rotary Club Public Speaking Competition for
14 – 18-year-olds.
The Year 10 students then gave an impressive performance
against seven other teams in the Leicestershire semi-finals at
Loughborough Grammar School - but did not make it to the final.
Teacher Alison Allford, who mentored the team, said: “The boys
spoke brilliantly about the dangers of technology and were the
youngest team there.
“All the students worked extremely hard to prepare for the
competition, meeting on numerous occasions out of school time
as well as writing and learning their speeches by heart.”
Students from Years 10, 11 or 12 interested in taking part in the
competition in October 2008 should contact Mrs Allford for more
details.
Tripping Up
Three coachloads of Year 11 students travelled to Leicester in
January to take part in Poetry Live at the De Montfort Hall.
The 135 students listened to established poets read their work and
had the opportunity to ask questions. The outing gave students
an added insight into poetry for their GCSE English and English
Literature exams.
Booking Up
A book group has been launched for Ashby’s A level students – at
the request of students themselves.
The group meets for an hour after school on the first Monday of
every month in Room 120.
The sessions – which include biscuits and hot chocolate – are
designed to help students get more out of literature and to
enhance the creative and analytical skills they will need for their
English exams.
Page Meanwhile, Year 12 students had the chance to make their own
stress-relieving balls – just what they needed after their first exam! Some became so attached to their stress balls that they even named
them.
Religious Studies
In March, the Head Boy and Head Girl will be joined by RS teacher
David Potter when they take part in the Lessons from Auschwitz
project.
The project, which is organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, is
made up of four parts.
Head Boy Alex Stevenson, Head Girl Sinead Wallace and Mr Potter
will attend a half-day orientation seminar to prepare them for a day
trip to the former death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.
This will be followed by a half-day follow-up seminar. Alex and
Sinead will then lead a series of House assemblies to talk about their
visit and the lessons that they, and others, should learn from it.
History
The retirement of teacher Elizabeth Sharpe after 19 years marked
the end of an era for Ashby’s History department. Mrs Sharpe, who
left at Christmas, was well known as a dedicated History teacher.
She also taught Citizenship and was a form tutor, as well as being a
temporary Year Head.
Mrs Sharpe and her family were actively involved in the school’s
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and had close links with Ashby’s
boarding facility at School House. Everyone at Ashby School wishes Mrs Sharpe a long and happy
retirement.
New teacher Mrs Claire Lee has since been appointed as the teacher
in charge of History. She takes responsibility for the department in
a period of transition as the school prepares to introduce a new A
level format later this year, along with a revised GCSE specification in
September 2009.
At the end of February, 80 Year 11 students attended the ‘Doctors
Show’ at Leicester’s Y Theatre. The revision conference covered 5,000
years of the history of medicine in two hours and included a 30minute ‘exam busting’ session. A group of Year 13 students will also
be taking part in a study day in Birmingham dedicated to ‘Hitler and
The Nazi State 1933-45’.
Geography
Forty five Geography students will head off this month on Ashby
School’s first residential Geography field trip for several years.
The Year 12 students will spend three days in Swanage, Dorset, to
explore key geographical concepts and ideas.
The trip coincides with calls from Government inspectors to make
Geography more exciting, by including more field work.
The main focus of the fieldtrip will involve visiting key coastal
landforms along the Dorset Coast in preparation for the coastal
exam in June. During the three days, students will visit Old Harry
Rocks, Lulworth Cove, Studland Heath, Chisel Beach and Durdle
Door.
Extra support is also available to Year 11 students to help them
achieve their full potential at GCSE. AS/A2 revision for modules
will take place in the run-up to the examinations.
Students are encouraged to visit the school intranet site,
Uniservity. The site features all AS notes along with a growing
selection of A2 notes. There are revision site links for GCSE and
other information. www.mymaths.co.uk provides excellent
practice and tutoring for GCSE.
Revision guides for GCSE and AS Maths are available from the
school shop.
To prepare students for their Historical Geography exam, they
will also visit Dorchester to see how the past influences the
morphology and function of settlements.
From the Governors…
Maths
The Finance Committee not only budgets for salaries and
resources but oversees the work of the Health and Safety
Committee. It also explores ways of financing new initiatives and
ensures that older buildings are kept in good repair.
Finance Committee
Over the last year, the Governors have continued to invest heavily
in improving the accommodation for the school’s growing
student population.
The new English block was officially opened last term. More
recently, the additional PE classrooms and first phase of the
new Sixth Form Centre were opened to much acclaim from the
students.
Teacher Dave Dring, as Richard O’Brien,
Puzzled. Students
with ‘Crystal Maze’ winners (left to right)
hone their problemJames Hickling, Katie Lissaman, Jade
solving skills.
Hurst, Cecily Graves and Jonathan Jiggins.
Hard-working Year 11 students are celebrating after passing their
GCSE Maths exam several months early. A number of students
achieved excellent results; others are planning to boost their
grades later in the year.
Maths is not just useful for exams – it also comes in handy for
juggling, cheating at cards and playing rock guitar. During a trip to
London, Year 12 and 13 students were given a series of fascinating
presentations to show how all of these activities – and others
– involve a lot of Maths.
Year 10 students were also introduced to the joys – and versatility of Maths during a motivational morning led by teachers Nicola Ley
and Lavinia Russell. The sessions, which included challenges based
on TV show ‘The Crystal Maze’, helped to show how widely Maths is
used in everyday life. The motivational morning was so successful
that it will run again later this year.
A visit from the Happy Puzzle Company helped students to hone
their problem-solving skills. More than 150 students took part in
the event, including some from Ivanhoe and Ibstock High Schools.
Students worked in teams, using their enterprising skills. One
team of Boarding House students was so skilled that the session’s
leader was afraid he would run out of activities. Since the visit, the
school has invested in some of its own puzzles to be used in Maths
lessons. A new course called ‘Study Plus Maths’ has been launched this
year. This course uses small projects to support students with
their numeracy skills. Teachers are using existing materials and
designing their own tasks to keep students interested.
A new Student Intervention Unit has also been opened on the
Range Road site, offering invaluable support to students needing
additional help.
A further investment in IT equipment has enabled the school to
upgrade many of the aging teaching laptops, purchase a further
75 PCs for the student network and introduce a wireless system in
the English Block and Sixth Form Centre. Speakers have also been
installed in most classrooms for use with data projectors.
The school continues to receive about £315,000 in additional
funds for its specialist work in Technology and Languages.
Expenditure has increased on the alternative curriculum
programmes of study, as part of the Government’s personalised
learning priority.
This year, the Governors decided to use the school’s Extended
Services (ES) grant to contribute to an Ashby Family of School’s ES
Co-ordinator who is based at Ivanhoe College.
The age and size of Ashby School’s premises require vigilance
on health and safety issues. External specialists have recently
completed risk assessments in security, fire, buildings and water
storage tanks. Work is ongoing to address their recommendations,
including the installation of a new CCTV system on the
Nottingham Road site.
The Local Authority has also been commissioned to carry out a
traffic risk assessment. The Carbon Trust has carried out a full audit
of energy costs as part of the Sustainable Schools initiative.
Nationally, public sector funding is being squeezed and schools
are expected to make efficiency savings.
Daphne Hodkinson, Chair of the Finance Committee, said: “As
members of the Finance Committee, we have clear aims and
strategies to provide good value for the money entrusted to
us. Over the past few years, the Local Authority has tried to be
relatively generous to education but the signs are that it may
have other priorities in the future. We wait to see.”
Page Talking Heads
What is your name? Mr Kelly.
What is your role at Ashby School?
History teacher and House Manager
of Hastings.
How long have you been at the
school? Eighteen months.
What were your first impressions
of Ashby School? What do you
think of the school, a year after
arriving? This is a great school – I am
lucky to work here.
Tell us something about yourself that not many people at Ashby
School would know… When I shaved my head, I looked like a chicken.
Describe your average working day. There isn’t one!
What do you like best about your job? Working with young people
(and pay and holidays).
How is Ashby School different to other schools you have worked
at? Staff football is even poorer.
What has been your most embarrassing moment? Playing a camp
woodman in the Erdington panto.
What do you think of today’s young people? They get a bad press – I
like them
What scares you most? Mr White’s lycra shorts.
How would you like to be remembered? Fondly.
What achievement are you most proud of in your life? Winning the
House music quiz last year.
What has been your greatest extravagance? My degree – it cost my
parents a fortune.
What would you never do? Go on a reality TV show – they are the
death of culture.
When you were at school, what did you want to be? Rock star.
How would you spend a million pounds? Very quickly.
Who do you most admire and why? Hunter S. Thompson – a brilliant
writer, who had an interesting view of the world.
If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?
Spend the day with my family, listening to my favourite albums.
Languages College
Ashby School shared the secrets of its success with teachers from
across the East Midlands when it was chosen as the venue for the
regional Specialist Languages Colleges’ conference.
Ashby was chosen because of its outstanding results in Modern
Foreign Languages (MFL), including students’ high achievements
in Japanese, an extra curricular qualification.
Delegates from across the East Midlands – including
headteachers and language college directors – gathered at Ashby
in February for a day of training and to learn more about Ashby’s
work in languages.
At the same time, Ashby is continuing its partnership with local
primary schools to introduce French into the classrooms of
younger pupils. This term, primary teachers have taken part in a
full day of training and two twilight training sessions.
All Year 6 pupils from feeder primary schools were invited to
watch a French play at Ashby School in February, to prepare them
for their move to high school.
Tutor groups are busy making international boards for their form
rooms. These will display information about different countries
and will be judged in March as part of a House Competition.
Peter McBride, Chair of Specialist Schools Steering Group
Tim Procter, Director of Technology College
Helen Hughes, Co-ordinator of Modern Languages Specialist College
Teacher Blogs on in Ethiopia
From the Governors…
Specialist Schools Steering Group Report
Former teacher Dave Evans is in Ethiopia.
The death of former Governor Iain MacLauchlan has saddened
former colleagues at Ashby School. Mr MacLauchlan was a
Governor at the school for several years as well as being Chairman
of the Technology College Steering Group.
A former teacher from Ashby School has begun a two-year spell
training teachers in Ethiopia.
David Evans, 61, of Whitwick, is writing a blog during his time
overseas, so that students at Ashby can follow and support his
progress.
Technology College
Ashby School is putting the finishing touches to its first Diploma
line, which will be launched in September.
It will become one of the first schools in the country to deliver the
new course when its Engineering Diploma for Year 10 students
begins in the summer term.
The Diploma - which will be run in collaboration with Stephenson
College and King Edward VII College, Coalville – will place an
emphasis on practical learning and offer an alternative to the
traditional GCSE/ A level route.
Ashby School is also sharing its technological expertise with
schools across the region. This includes running computer-aided
design projects for primary age children and supporting Science
and ICT teaching at schools in Leicestershire and Derby.
Page Mr Evans, who is working as a representative of international
development charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VS0), is living
in a mud hut, and working with teachers to help improve the
country’s ailing education system.
He said: “I am keeping my blog so that I can share my experiences
with Ashby students and others. Hopefully, the students will use
my knowledge of what is needed over there to continue their
fundraising for Ethiopia.”
Before he left, Mr Evans delivered a series of assemblies to Ashby
students to talk about his VSO role. The school has already raised
£1,000 for VSO by holding a non-uniform day.
It costs VSO £15,000 to pay for Mr Evans to spend a year
in Ethiopia. Anyone wishing to help raise funds towards
Mr Evans’ work in Ethiopia can visit www.justgiving.com/
davidevansethiopia