N E W S L E T T E R - Icknield High School

December
2012
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Icknield
High School
Languages German Trip
Science Trip to CERN
Yr 7 Christmas Fayre
SPRING TERM 2013
January
7th
INSET
8th
Spring Term begins
9
Yr 11 January GCSE’s begin
17th
Yr 9 Parents’ Consultation Evening
22nd
Yr 9 Options Fayre
27
Car Boot Sale 9.00am—1.00pm for School Production
31
Ski Trip Information Evening 6.30—8.00pm in School Hall
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February
5
11-14
12
14
18 –22
23 & 24
28
Yr 11 Parents’ Consultation Evening
30 x Yr 10 Geography Trip to Costa Brava
School Production rehearsal 3.00—5.30pm
School Production rehearsal 3.00 –5.30pm
Half Term
School Production rehearsal 9.00—5.00pm
Yr 8 Parents’ Consultation Evening
March
2&3
5
6—8
15
18- 21
19
21
22
28
29
School Production rehearsal 9.00 –5.00pm
School Production dress rehears 6.30—10.30
School Production 7.30pm
Girls 3rd HPV Vaccination
35 x Yr 9 on History trip to battlefields
Spring Concert in PA1 at 7.00pm
Science Fair in School Hall all day & in the evening
Academic Review Day
Term Ends
Ski trip to Austria depart returns on 6th April
April
15
16
INSET
Term begins
Bad Weather Warnings
Whilst we will make every effort to keep the school open during bad weather, the main problem is that when the snow hits, many staff who live some
distance away simply cannot get here. It is unsafe to have the children in
school without adequate staffing.
If we do have to close the school you can get information by
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Listening to Heart FM or BBC 3 Counties Radio 103.8FM and 630AM or
go to their web-site.
Visit the school web-site or Local Authority website
Call school (difficult as we only have one line and 1450 students)
Look for notices on the school doors.
Any such weather closure will be for the shortest possible period and we
would encourage students to take the opportunity to work on any coursework, homework or learning they can usefully do from their own initiative.
Back to the future
A much loved and oft repeated film starring Michael J Fox –
I am sure it will on again over the festive season – but the
title is, in so many ways, pertinent to future of education in
this country!
We seem to be going through more changes in education
than Kate Moss on a fashion shoot but the question is will it
make it better in the end? I could not begin to list the
changes in examinations since I was at school and I know
others have much longer memories than that! Yet here we
are again with another host of new examinations. I am sure
employers will be able to differentiate very clearly between
50% Coursework, 30% Coursework, 100% Coursework,
Mr C W Dean
modular exams, linear courses, terminal exams, BTECs,
OCRs, GCSEs, International Baccalaureate, International
GCSEs, Welsh GCSEs, Scottish examinations, O Levels, CSEs and now the proposed English
Baccalaureate (the Eng. Bac)! In the end what are these changes designed to do? Will suddenly all
the students be better qualified, more literate, more numerate for knowing the correct order of the
kings and queens of England and for knowing the capitals of countries? All very valuable skills I am
sure and useful on trivial pursuit quiz evenings and for booking holidays but surely learning has to be
more than just the rote learning of facts! In my day when I was at school, we had to learn loads of
facts, Shakespearean quotations and then copy out huge chunks of the text book for seemingly no
good reason other than it occupied an hour of time; I lived for the times when the more enlightened
teachers allowed us to discuss things, set us problems to solve and helped us to work together in
teams, the anecdotes, the pearls of worldly wisdom made school enjoyable.
So why do the new proposals for the national curriculum fill me with horror and fear, not just the
Icknield children both present and future but also for my own? Part of the richness of life is the
culture we have around us, the art and music, the dance and yet they are not part of the Eng. Bac.;
these subjects give us the ability to be creative, imaginative and are a crucial part of our lives. But in
hard economic terms these art industries are worth billions a year and employ thousands and
thousands of people so why aren’t they valued as part of this new examination? Also the new
examination is only designed for 75% of the school population with the remaining 25% leaving with
a certificate of study showing what they have studied but no qualification, what will employers make
of that?
At Icknield we have always prided ourselves on a broad and balanced curriculum allowing each
student to achieve wherever and whatever they can and this is borne out in our successes last year.
We have never been in a better position to push for being judged Outstanding by Ofsted and it is
because we really can prove our mantra of ‘Raising the Achievement of All’ - and not just for some!
So let’s not go back to a fundamentally flawed past to create what I believe will be a potentially
disastrous future but instead learn from it rather than re-living it, take the best parts and embrace
the challenges of the future with young people anxious to learn, inquisitive and questioning who will
indeed, do us proud – after all they will be looking after us all in our old age!
Homework
I really am in Dickensian mode! It must be the time of year, Scrooge and bah humbug and all that!
In our recent parent surveys, homework is clearly of concern to parents and as a consequence to us
as a school. Like any parent I am concerned about the homework or seeming lack of it for my own
children. I too am asking the questions like: ”Have you got any homework?”; “Why haven’t you?” ;
“ What do you mean you did it in class?” and so on followed by the inevitable, Monty Python moment
of “In my day, we did 12 hours a night, got up before we went to bed and lived in a shoe box at the
bottom of someone else’s garden”. I can recall doing homework for 3 hours each night, by candlelight, during the 3 day week of the 70s but the times have changed. Project work is still a mystery to
me as is working on the computer doing My Maths – where’s the text book I cry? But as parent, I am
trying to understand.
The important questions are:
Does your child have homework?
Are they writing it in their planners?
Have they talked about it with you?
If the answer to the first two is Yes then we are off to a good start but talking with your child about it
is crucial and a good bonding activity – please don’t do it for them though! If the answer to 1 is No
then it is likely 2 will be No. Please write in the planners about lack of homework and ask your child to
tell the form tutor who will raise it further up the line. However sometimes children do not write it in
their planners even though it has been set so please nag continually until they do. Together we will
solve this problem!
And Finally……
Another term draws to a close and there is so much to celebrate! These newsletters are a way of
communicating that success and the fullness and richness of the education we offer that extends beyond the pure academic. The staff are deserving of my praise, their commitment and dedication are
unstinting and I am sure you would join with me in thanking them for all their efforts. So that just
leaves me to wish you the compliments of the season and to wish you…..
Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Uniform Appeal
Donations of unwanted and/or outgrown uniform and PE kit can be left in the
uniform drop-off box located in the main reception area. If you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Zafar in the
Year 7 Year Room (01582 576 561)
We are considering offering a GCSE Bengali course, after school, in the future.
If you are interested in YOUR son/daughter joining this group, would you please write to the
school c/o Headteacher Mr Dean to express an interest. If there are sufficient numbers to create a viable group, we will look to set this up.
The Governing Body
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The School newsletter is a useful way for everyone to gain an insight into school life
at Icknield, it’s success stories and for upcoming events. The Governing Body is very
much a part of everyday life at the School and I thought it may be useful for you to
have an understanding of the type of work the Governing Body does and how that
work is carried out.
Our primary function is to hold the school to account to ensure whatever Mr Dean
and his staff are doing is carried out in a way that gives the best possible results for
the children and the School. Our role is to be supportive but to offer challenge by
being the ‘critical friend’ to the school.
The Governing Body meets 20 times per year in total, with all members meeting at
the ‘Full Governing Body meetings four times per year. In addition, there are five sub
-committees that are formed of a smaller number of governors and the purpose of
these is to focus on specific areas of the school.
The sub-committees are as follows (the main purpose of each is shown below): Estates committee (Three meeting’s per year)
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Looks at all matters to do with the school building, grounds, maintenance and
improvements (within budgetary control) , furniture, Health & Safety, lettings
and security
Finance & Staffing committee (Six meeting’s per year)
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Examines the finances of the school and ensures it is fully staffed. Reviews
School policies, regulations and procedureS
Curriculum committee (Three meeting’s per year)
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Considers standards and other matters relating to the school’s curriculum including statutory requirements, policies, timing of school sessions, dates of
terms and holidays and the School’s Curriculum Policy and their impact on resources (reference to the Finance & Staffing Committee). School achievements
including pupil attainment. Agree School targets for external examinations and
report on progress towards them. Develop monitor, evaluate and report on
the progress of the School’s improvement Plan, etc
Student Affaires committee (Three meeting’s per year)
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Looks at many areas, one example is scrutiny of the behaviour policy. The
committee also has responsibility for (among others): Admissions, Attendance,
Child Protection, Equal Opportunities, Educational Visits, Health Eating, ICT
Acceptable Use, Race Equality, etc.
Scrutiny Committee (One meeting per year)
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Examines in fine detail ‘Safeguarding’ (Child Protection), providing support and
challenge to the School in this very important area
Full Governing Body meeting (Four meetings per year) – Some examples of the
work we do is as follows: 
Meets to discuss the Head Teacher’s report to Governors.
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To discuss and approve the school targets for attainment (GCSE targets)
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Discuss and approve the school plan
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Discuss and approve the School Evaluation Form
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Ratifies all School Policies reviewed at each of the sub-committees
There are other small groups of governors that meet with the Deputy Head Teachers
& Assistant Head Teachers to examine in fine detail very specific areas of the work
carried out by the sub-committees described above. For example governors meet
with a Deputy Head Teacher to look at ‘Standards and Progress’ and with an Assistant Head Teacher to examine ‘Teaching & Learning. These are both very important
areas that contribute enormously to the progress that the school has made in recent
years and the results that the children achieve each summer.
Governors will contribute to the School newsletter in future issues and will focus on
specific areas to give parents/carers more insight into the work carried out at the
School and the impact it has.
Steve Blake—Chair of Governors - December 2012
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we held our G&T Summer School Exhibition in
The Red Dot Gallery in October. The beautiful artwork was created by students from
years 6 to 8 and was a fantastic showcase - receiving many compliments from
parents who attended the Year 6 Open Evening.
In the week prior to Remembrance Day we hosted the LCET poppy installation for
the second time. Once again it was hugely effective and a great way of raising
awareness of the day and what it means to the country.
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We held another successful Craft Fair on Saturday 24th November in the school hall.
With over 35 stalls selling a variety of art, homemade food and Christmas crafts.
There was a great atmosphere and lots of Christmas Spirit! Welcoming around 300
visitors, we raised over £650.00 for the school and £103.00 for Keech Cottage (in
association with the Reprographics Department) through our tombola. We received
some lovely feedback from participants and visitors alike. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all the year 10 students who gave up their Saturday to assist
at the fair. They were a huge help and the day would not have run as smoothly as it
did without their support and enthusiasm! Those students were:
James Codling
Alena Zahir
Azra Thakar
Brooke Spittles
Humaira Shakil
Robyn Barnett
Fleur Wildman
Ayesh Qamar
Kiera Greenslade
Sahara Adeniyan
Megan Broughton
Becky Newton
Daniel Hashmi
Maariyah Ahmed
Currently on show at the gallery is an Icknield staff exhibition. A range of staff from
different area of the school have submitted their artwork so it really is a very
interesting show. The anonymous work will be on display until the end of term and
we are asking our students and all staff to vote for their favourite artwork. The
winning artist will receive a prize before the Christmas holidays! Watch this space...
In February we will welcome a travelling exhibition from the OCR exam board presenting work created last year by extremely talented GCSE students from across
the UK. It is a great opportunity for Icknield pupils to gain an insight as to what
standard of work will achieve top marks so it is well worth taking a look. We will
advertise the show closer to the time.
We have taken many trips this term including, National Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate
Modern & Clothes Show Live. Students have really enjoyed the experience and we
look forward to many more in the new year.
Mrs Conway & Miss Lavin
ROTARY YOUNG CHEF COMPETITION
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Four ‘Red Tie’ Catering students were
selected to represent the school at the The
Rotary Young Chef Competition on Monday
19th November, which took place in the
professional kitchens at Barnfield College.
This was the first stage of the competition
which involved local schools from Luton.
Hannah Lane, Jake Titmus, Cherilyn Du
Jardin and Jodie Monk each prepared a
two course healthy meal which they
served on a table setting of their own layout.
During the cooking time they all worked extremely professionally and
showed some excellent organisational skills, and this was commented on by
the judges. The winner of the local final was Hannah Lane with Cherilyn
taking second place and Jake third place. Hannah prepared Lemon Chicken
served with savoury rice and a green salad for her main course and a Fruit
Sponge Flan for her dessert. The Chefs judging the competition commented
that her sponge flan looked so perfect and joked that she must have bought
it! The winner received a gold medal and a £30 Amazon voucher with the
runner up being awarded a silver medal and a £10 Amazon voucher.
Mrs Scoles and Mrs Stonnell are very proud of all the student’s
achievements, commitment and hard work in preparing for the competition.
Hannah will now be representing Icknield High School in the regional final at
the end of February and, if she is successful, will then progress to the
National final.
Here are a few comments from the winning trio:
From the competition I took part in I feel like I learned a range of skills and
got experience to work in a professional kitchen. I enjoyed it very much and
was really happy when I came first. The time management went well and
all the dishes that were served went well I thought. I learnt new serving
and presentational skills as well.
Hannah Lane
I really enjoyed this experience. I was pleased that Mrs Stonnell chose me
and I would like to thank the Rotary Club for running the competition and
Barnfield for hosting it.
Cherilyn Dujardin
Hearing Impaired students’ visit to the British Film Institute.
Eight hearing impaired students
visited the British Film Institute
on London’s Southbank to
enhance their ASDAN studies.
We were shown clips of silent,
black and white movies and a
short history of film making.
During the afternoon the
students filmed their own short animations. The education officer said she
thoroughly enjoyed working with our deaf students. It was a great
experience.
Physics visit to CERN, Switzerland
On the 23rd of October a group of year 11’s took a 07:30am flight to Switzerland. This physics trip
was an opportunity of a lifetime; we were going to visit CERN. CERN is a European Laboratory for
Particle Physics. It’s based in Geneva, Switzerland and parts of France. CERN is most famous for
developing the World Wide Web, and we were given the privilege to explore many working projects.
One interesting project was the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) which is an underground tunnel
approximately 100m underground across the Swiss and French border. The LHC is a circular particle
accelerator where two beams of subatomic particles (hadrons) gain speed during each lap and then
collide. This results in more particles being created which is then analysed by special detectors.
CERN includes different projects related to LHC to learn other properties of particles and how they
reacted before the Big Bang. Whilst on the various sites we learnt there are four underground
caverns located around the ring of the LHC where the research is carried out; they are called
ATLAS , CMS , ALICE and LHCb. We actually visited CMS and went down 75 metres to Level -2.
During this trip we stayed at Geneva Youth Hostel which was a five minute walk to the famous
Geneva Lake. There was a beautiful fountain called the Jet d’Eau which is the city’s famous
landmark. The water from the lake is shot right up in the sky, five hundred litres of water per second
are blasted at an altitude of 140m in the sky. The sight is spectacular as the water crashes down to
the lake. Several times we took a ferry across the lake to reach the other side of town, but the
glimpse of the fountain was incredible! All you hear is the water crashing down, the water spraying
in your face and the sound of cameras constantly clicking.
On the last day we took a train to Montreux to reach the Alps and then a cogwheel mountain train
up 2000metres ( 6000ft ) to the top of a mountain called Rochers de Naye. During the train ride up
the mountain we saw many spectacular views of trees and numerous mountains. Eventually, after an
hour, we reached the top, we were gobsmacked at the amazing view of the mountains. The air felt
very clean and the view was breath-taking…literally. We decided to hike higher in the mountains to
see La Rambertia, an alpine flower garden. We felt the air getting thinner and we felt out of breath
after a very short period. We saw from a distance the snow at the top of the Alps and felt the cool
air in our lungs, which was heaven compared to the polluted fumes of cigarettes in the town.
The trip was organised by Mr Ashwell, a physics teacher at Icknield since 1971, who had previously
undertaken a four day training course at the centre and as a result decided to adopt the CERN vision
of promoting particle physics to young students.
He said: “This was a great opportunity to get students interested in physics and allow them to see
first-hand the careers and opportunities that are available. I was pleased with the trip, it was a once
in a life-time experience, that they will never forget.”
Mrs Connington, Head of Science at Icknield, said “In my 18 years at Icknield, it was the most
inspiring school trip that I have ever been on, it was great fun for the students and they got to see
proper science.”
Miss Dorban, a geography teacher who helped to look after us, said, “I certainly developed my
understanding of what happens at CERN and how particles are accelerated and the mountains were
beautiful.
Other students said, “Great experience, good balance of fun and educational things.”
“It was amazing. “ “It was a great trip “. “ It was fantastic; please make it available for future years”.
“It was awesome ““It was wicked.” “It was really cool, cheers Sir, (and Miss). “
This trip was very educational and fun but also a great memory to treasure as we soon end our
school life. The trip made us realise just how spectacular the world is and how much work is put in
at CERN in order for us to understand the world as we know it today.
By Tanzia Ahmed 11RAR
Geography News
Key Stage 3 Top Achievers
As part of the Geography Departments commitment to praise the achievement of learners and
encourage further progress, participation and motivation, teachers have selected students from
form groups who have either excelled in lessons, achieved the most 5’s in lessons or submitted
an outstanding piece of work. Congratulation and well done to all top achievers who are:
GAI Moneeba Mehmood and Mohammed Hassan Rahman
GAC Mathangi Sivaruban and Amaan Syed
GAA Adnaan Saleem and Shanzay Ahmed
GAR Kaynatt Waseem and Matthew Clarke
GAE Lucy King and Ikramah Ahmed
GAS Luke Norris and Jamie Shipp
GBC Parisha Misty and Radeeha Hussain
GBA Rabeeah Shazad and Raja Khan
GBR Greg Pitcher and Ryan James
GBE Sarmad Khan
GBS Azizah Ahmed and Elvish Gashi
Look out for...
Fairtrade Fortnight
25th February—10th March
In February 2012, students
took a step to think about what
fair-trade is and how it benefits
people in less economically developed countries.
SAC Chris Deam and Samah Shah
SAA Cameron Norman and Haseeb Riaz
SAR Amy Gillespie and Luca Deon
SAE Cai Wing and Fozia Khan
SAS Bilal Tariq and Sugardana Padmasri
SBC Anisa Khatun and Nancy Madembe
SBA Bilal Akbar and Ravinder Kaur
SBR Natalie Joseph and Yosron Hassan
SBE Hasan Noor and Danyaal Hussain
SBS Sbaian Yasin and Jazmin Lake
YAC Sahar Naeem and Kurai Dyirakumunda
YAA James Baker and Casey Hilson
YAR Charlotte Small and Azha Ahmed
YAE Trisha Allie and Chole Walker
YAS Phoebe Brown and Ria Du-Bisette
YBC Hafsa Choudhury and Rajay Robinson
YBA Olivia Clarke and Krishan Mistry
YBR Liam Jenkins and Asharnai Gale
YBE Hamzah Hussain and Rishi Jethwa
YBS Hasan Hussain and Yasser Manir
In 2013 we aim to support the
Fairtrade Foundation go further
building a range of activities in
Key Stage 3 Geography
GCSE Geography—Year 11
It’s a busy time for our Year 11 Geography
Students. Over the past couple of months
students have been working on the
Geography Controlled Assessment which
makes up 25% of their overall grade by
investigating if urban living space is always
a mixture of ‘the good, the bad and the
ugly’. Controlled Assessment materials
can be accessed at
www.ihsgeography.webs.com.
Additionally, students have also continued
to work on Unit 1 topics (Dynamic Planet).
Some students are also preparing for the
Unit 2 (People and the Planet) January
retake to try to improve their grade.
Revision sessions are afterschool every
Friday and groups are targeted at C and A/A*.
Revision materials can be accessed at www.ihsgeographyunit2.webs.com.
The website contains revision notes, exam questions web-links, videos and more, aimed specifically for our specification.
The Unit 2 retake exam is on Friday 25th January and we wish all students good luck!
Competition
Winners The winners who completed the
wordsearch on the London 2012 Olympics from the
last newsletter, and submitted a correct entry were
randomly chosen by Samir Shah (SAA). The winners are: Year 7 Ruhma Taj GBA, Year 8 Kenan
Pinner SAS and Year 9 Rishi Jethwa YBE
Wild Weather Caption
Competition
Who can think the funniest caption for this
photograph? Competitions entries judged
by Miss Room. Please submit your entries
by 18th January 2012. Good luck!!!
Language German Trip
On 22nd October 2012 a group of 35 Yellow and 6 Red Ties went on a trip to Germany. We left Icknield
High School at 8pm and after a long journey we finally arrived at the ferry. The journey on the ferry was
short but good as some of us got some sleep and others relaxed with a cup of hot chocolate. Saby,
however, had a big bottle of boost to make everything ‘live’ (from her point of view!).
When we left the ferry we sat on the coach again! We crossed France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In
the final hour of the coach trip everyone was fast asleep except Saby, Louise and Daanish.
We arrived at a school in Olfen, a small town in Germany. Everyone
went to the bathroom and freshened up. The school was very
welcoming and they offered us breakfast. Even the Mayor of Olfen
visited the school especially on that day and gave the teachers gifts
(not us!). We were allocated into groups with the German students
and introduced ourselves in German. They then took us around the
big school and we also had a lesson with them. Some students had
their picture taken for the Olfen Newspaper. We then had a look at
their very small town and made German friends. After a long day at
the school we said our goodbyes and made our way to Cologne (Köln).
The next day we went to Phantasialand, a theme park in Köln. It was
only about 15 – 20 minutes drive from the hostel. We spent there the whole day and tried plenty of rides.
We also had a free face paint, the girls got flowers matching their clothes and the boys got a moustache
painted on the faces. When we got back onto the coach half of us were soaking wet – very uncomfortable!
Later on we had a shower and went for our night walk in
Köln. It was great fun but we were constantly getting in
trouble for getting in the cyclists’ way. After the walk we
went to our rooms but we kept the teachers awake all
night for being noisy – especially Olivia’s room!
The next day we went on a boat trip in Köln and
everyone had a hot chocolate and we took loads of
pictures. We then walked to the cable cars. The ride was
not very long but it gave an amazing view of the city.
We went to McDonalds – teachers’ treat!! However, we were not allowed to sit and eat so everyone rushed
the food otherwise no shopping and that would have been a disaster! We were given 20 minutes to buy
souvenirs for our family and friends and had to meet back at the cathedral. The cathedral was very tall
and also one of Köln’s main tourist attractions.
After a couple of hours we got to the ferry but it was a lot smaller than the first one, therefore more
wobbly. Everyone was already exhausted enough and we then had to deal with a constantly shaking ferry.
Most of us were not feeling well. Although it was a short crossing it felt like it lasted for ages until we
arrived at Dover. We then had another long coach trip to Icknield where we arrived at around 1am.
Overall the trip was very fun and we all had an amazing time. We even made German friends who we are
still in touch with! We are also in the German Newspaper. Germany was great and we wish the trip was
longer because we had such a fabulous, educational but at the same time fun-packed time.
By Arooj, Saby and Tayyaba YAC
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as
another but has a different meaning (e.g. our and hour).
Correct the homophones in these passages The answers will be
revealed in the next newsletter.
“Over their” shouted Charlie.
Slowly, but surely I could see there hooded backs running ahead.
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They’re going to get away – the only thought which ran threw my
head.
It was not until this knight that I thought they were my friends.
Part of the gang.
But then I saw them. There hands balled in fists. Anger rising they’re
faces. Urging each other that they were the one calling the shots.
This was my moment of realisation. Their not who I thought they were.
We had known for some time that someone were pushing little Jimmy
around. Rumours told us it was those three but I refused to believe any
of my mates could be so heartless.
Shaun, David and myself sore them at work and now there trying to
get away. We were closing the gap. I could now make out their faces
turning to sea if we were still running after them. I turned my thoughts
to: their not going to get away.
Christmas anagrams.
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Rearrange the letters in these words to spell out the words associated
with Christmas.
lgejni lsble
…………………………..
amctrihss ndcoeraitso
…………………………..
tnasa sluca
…………………………..
pgnprwai prepa
…………………………..
tnslie tnihg
…………………………..
nletis
…………………………..
hplroud
………………………….
loshco shlidyoa
………………………….
Back in September, Rebekah and myself had been thinking about Black History
Month and how Icknield has never highlighted Black History Month in a big way
ever since we had been here. This had been playing on my mind for quite
sometime, and as I was on my way past Mr Blackhurst’s office he stopped me
and asked me if I would like to do something special for the event and if I
would like to get any other students in my year involved. So I then gathered all
the students that I needed and that were as passionate about Black History month as I am, and we
created what we called the ‘Coloured Group’.
We met twice a week (thanks to Mr Blackhurst for use of his Office
as campaign headquarters!) to organise the events we wanted to
take place , throughout the month. Our meetings were productive
and good (mostly!). Usually they consisted of everyone's ideas
being put on the table and coming together and creating our Red
Tie legacy which we would like to live on. As you know we had
three boys in our Black History Month team: Nathan Blucher,
Tayvon Charles and Kiani Harkness, how you would think these
boys would not do anything and let all the girls do the work, but,
no, although they did not attend every meeting because they had
‘basketball’, but when they did come they came with idea’s. During the last two weeks of September
we began to finalise all the plans for the duration of the month. We wanted to do something the
whole school would benefit from, little things they could learn from just to share a little about the
achievement of black people without bringing slavery up (again!).
One of the things we decided to do was change up the lessons, like in History, they learned about all
the black inventions and did a pop quiz at the end of all their lessons. Poems were written in English,
which were really good and we all watched ‘The Help’ in PSHE and we held a Cultural Week.
During Culture Week, we wanted to make sure what we did reached the whole school, so we met up
with the chef and we asked him that every Thursday during Black History Month if we would have a
cultural food day, so not just students but also teachers would enjoy and the chef agreed. He
prepared exquisite meals which we all thoroughly enjoyed (he even made an authentic, curry goat).
In Cultural week we also decided to have an Afro-Caribbean food day and on the first day we raised
£120 and as we guessed, the chicken sold out and everyone wanted us to repeat our food sale. With
the help of Joanna Matthews, who made all our posters, we held a second food day in the gym and
raised another £200.
We also did a Year 7 assembly, we managed to pull it off and share with the Year 7’s what Black
History Month means to us and why we wanted to share it with the whole school.
As part of our Red Tie legacy we wanted to leave something
behind, so we thought that it should involve some art because
our school does specialise in art. We came up with the idea of
doing a board that represented Black History Month and we
wanted one word that would sum up Black people and their
achievements. Ocean Simms gave us the word ‘Liberation’ and
that became our theme. Shareen Mohammed, Rebekah-Anna
Morgan, Ummi Ahmed, Shereen Watson, Shanice Hastings and
myself found quotes to put in footprints around the school that
led to our board (which is outside Medical room). We got all the
Year 7-9 to draw their favourite Black liberator and Brithney
Livingstone and I went through them. We choose the best ones to be on the board for the collage as
well as going through pictures, we sat and went through all the poems and Pauline Mwakulegwa and
Ella Bush helped us make a decision on which poems were to be the best. This is our Red Tie Legacy.
Maxine Muchiza Year 11
Year 7
Harvest Festival was a very impressive event this year and the generosity of
parents and students was most appreciated. A representative from NOAH
came to thank the pupils and help Mr Forbes judge the Harvest Box competition. The winners were GBE who created a wonderfully colourful space
themed box.
Y
E
A
R
The Christmas Fayre was an exciting buzz of fun and enterprise.
The children raised over £450
which was an amazing achievement. After Christmas we will
debate which Charities will benefit
from our fundraising.
7GBC Tree Planting Morning
R
O
O
M
N
E
W
S
Friday, 16th November was a very
exciting day for 7GBC as they got the opportunity to leave a permanent reminder of their 5 years at Icknield High school by planting their very own
trees.
All the students turned up in their wellies and aided by their tutor Mrs Jackson
and Mrs Josephs (Communicator) had a wonderful time digging holes, measuring planting distances and planting their trees. The trees will form a lasting
legacy to be appreciated by future generations of students.
7GBC will be responsible for nurturing and caring for their trees and hopefully
they can take their family or children to see the grown trees sometime in the
future.
We wish you all a happy and restful holiday.
Mrs A Gilbert—Pastoral Leader
Year 8 Silver Ties Newsletter
Reward Trip
Year 8 Silver Ties have had an exciting term with a fantastic reward trip to
Hemel Hempstead Snow Zone. Many pupils achieved above 101 5s and were
invited to go on the trip. Everyone said they had a fantastic time in the team
building activities and that it was great fun.
Mr Chopra (Head of Year 8) says he has more things in store for the people
who earn it. The next reward trip will be in April and now the big question
is ‘what will the trip be???’
Natalie Joseph
High Achievers - Year 8
The Silver Tie with the highest amount of 5s is Sandal Butt with 195. In
second place is Cassia Clarke with 185 5s and in third place is Ramahni
Morris with 184 5s.
Mahiya Ahmed
Teacher Feature!!!
Teacher feature introduces you to a member of the Silver Tie Team. Our teacher this term is (drum
roll) MISS DORBAN! The Geography teacher Miss Dorban was once Head girl at Icknield High School.
Miss Dorban was overwhelmed by the news that she was going to part of the silver tie team. She
thought it was slightly daunting moving to a Year 7 tutor group having previously tutored a year
eleven class. She teaches Geography because she finds it interesting learning about the world. Miss
Dorban has a degree in Geography and says that she never imagined that she’d work at Icknield but
is very pleased that she does.
Newsletter team: Jake Hayden, Amit Vij, Zeeshan Khan-Kiani, Lia Parry, Bethany Swann,
Nosheen Shah, Jemma Candy and Mr Neill
BLUE TIE Year 10
I would like to congratulate the Blue tie Students on making a very positive start to Year 10 and
completing a successful first term.
In the first few weeks of this term a maturity settled across most of the Year group as they focussed
on their GCSE courses. This was highlighted by good attendance (95% for the Year Group) and the
huge number of reward points (5’s) being achieved by students across all areas of the school.
I would particularly like to congratulate the 261 students who have already collected over 50 5’s and
are working towards the success of the Blue Tie Team; the 178 students who have gained 100 5’s
and are now wearing their bronze bee badge; and also the following students who are leading the
Year Group with the most reward points collected so far:- Kiren Ahmed, Ivy Cheng, Faheemah
Chowdhury, Christopher Dale, Samual Fitzjohn, Christopher Hall, Daniel Hashmi, Jigna Kashyap, Azra
Thakar, Alexander Walker and Marium Zaidi.
The students are now well into organising their Work Experience placements with many of them
completed already. I hope you will take time out over the Christmas break with those who have not
yet finalised their choices to find out what they are doing and to support them in the process. May I
take this opportunity to remind you that although work experience is not until July, it is in your child’s
best interests to get the placement organised as soon as is possible!
Finally I would like to congratulate all those students who have been involved in extracurricular
activities such as playing for sports teams and acting as Sports Leaders over the last half term; this
shows that Blue Tie students are committed to success in all areas of school life.
I sincerely hope that this positive start will continue and that the Blue Tie students go from strength
to strength throughout Year 10. May I wish you and your families a relaxing Christmas break and I
look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Julia Rankin Pastoral Leader for Year 10.
Victims of Gaza Charity Effort
As a group of Year 9 students, we
wanted to raise money for the children
and victims of the troubles in Gaza.
The aim was to support a charity working in the area as a humanitarian effort. We had seen news reports of the
suffering in Gaza, of the effects of the bombing, and the homelessness and orphans that resulted from the conflict.
We researched the topic on the internet and saw heart breaking video footage of the suffering
of the children of Gaza, many of them a similar age to ourselves. Many were younger and we
felt that we and the school could do something to make a difference.
We created a short power point presentation to show to the Year 9 Assembly. The presentation
included information, film and an interview from YouTube with a young boy from Gaza made
homeless and whose life has been changed forever. He explained that he could hear bombs
near to where he was standing every few minutes. The interview created a powerful impression
on us.
The day before the Assembly, we ran through our presentation with Mr Blackhurst who was
anxious that it focused on the humanitarian aspects so that it could be supported by every student in the school on that basis.
We felt the Assembly went well and many students told us that it was a moving experience and
we asked the rest of the Year group to support the collection by putting spare loose change in
the collection buckets on the way out.
We were amazed that the Assembly raised £200 and further collections raised the amount by a
further £300. We also arranged a FIFA 13 for Gaza session along with snacks and drinks which
also raised about another £200. In total, the amount raised therefore has been over £700
which we will be donating to the Ummah Welfare Trust who have an office in Gaza. They will
be coming into school to receive the cheque and we will publish photographs of the handover in
the next Newsletter.
Mohammad Elmagbari, Yasser Manir, Safwan Miah, Yasir Rahman (Year9)
Leadership Teams
The current Student Voice Teams are:
Teaching and Learning (Mrs Akhtar)
S
T
U
D
E
N
T
V
O
I
C
E

Eco Team (Miss Room)

ICT (Mr Smith)

Staffing (Mrs Smith)

Student Affairs (Mr Forbes)

Facilities (Mr Dean)

Literacy (Mrs Byrne)

Art (Mrs Conway)
Introducing...
Cultural, Diversity and Equality (Miss Ahearn)
We have created a new leadership team of the Student Voice to promote key events that
build a cohesive community. Events recognise the challenges that people face and how we
have overcome difficulties to succeed. Examples of these events are Anti Bullying week,
Remembrance Day and Black History Month.
The next event that students will be working on will be celebrating the Chinese New Year
collaborating with Mr Blackhurst for the Theme of the Week and Spiritual Thoughts and
Mr Lucas in the school canteen.
Teaching and Learning
“As part of our team, we are looking at what activities we like to do in class, so that students can enjoy learning more in lessons. We think this is important as we can contribute
our own experiences and discuss new ideas. We will feed our ideas back to Mrs Akhtar
who will share the results will the other teachers.”
Marium Zaidi BAE
School Talent Show
Watch out for photos and reviews of the Icknield’s Got Talent, Christmas Talent Show featuring Hasan Nisar GBE, Sabeela Khan YAS, Janel Grant YAA, Asher Hussain RAA, Emma Sear RBA, Chrystal Mayling RBC, Megan Perry RBA, Iqra Malik RAS, Hannah Bada
RBE, Rachel Rose RBR, Megan Crocker RBE, Ella Bush RBE, Paris Noel RBR, Sheree
Watson RBS, Jade Finlayter RAC, Shereen Mohammed RBA, Rebekah Clarke BBS, Sonal
Keshwala RAR, Ocean Simms RAR, Jacklyn Botwe RAA, Tayvon Charles RAE, Adam
Kiani RBR, Abraham Eze RAC, Raymond Tatani RAS, Brenden Chekumanyara RAR, Nathan Blucher RAC, Ami Ahmed BBC and Keira Greenslade BAR in the next newsletter.
Student Voice Eco-Team news
This term has been a busy one for the Eco-Team. Five new members have joined our team, swelling
numbers to thirteen:

Red Ties: Adam Valentine (Team President), Bethany Taylor (Team Secretary), Sumaya
Zannat and Iqra Malik.

Blue Ties: Jacob Younger (Team Treasurer), James Codling and
Luqman Azam.

Yellow Ties: Medi Batool (Team Secretary) and Megan Horwood.

Silver Ties: Taaher Kabir and Yosron Hassan.

Green Ties: Sirah Hiyat and Aisha Uddin.
Our activities this term:
The Eco-Team reached out to the community on Year 6 open evening collecting pledges from the visiting students and their families to be more environmentally friendly. We also used the evening as an opportunity to engage other students in our discussions about making the school a more eco-friendly
place. We’ve collected lots of great ideas and hope to make some of them a reality over the next year.
On Monday 12th November, ten members of the Eco-Team took part in a global discussion about issues
in our local area. We shared our ideas with the world about what it’s like to live in Luton, but also read
about the experiences of children in other parts of the world,
including Malawi, Scotland, Spain, India and Mexico. Through
our online discussions we came to realise how lucky we are to
live in the UK and have the opportunities we do. This experience inspired the Eco-Team to share their learning, experiences and ideas through the teaching of a Year 7 lesson focusing
on perceptions of place in Luton. The students showed incredible tenacity and leadership skills and I was proud to see their
confidence in sharing their ideas with others.
Achievements:
Lastly I am happy to announce that our efforts last year have
resulted in the achievement of an Eco-Schools Bronze Award
for the school, taking us one step closer to a cleaner and
greener school and a more sustainably conscious student body.
Well done everyone!
Miss Room
(Eco-Team Facilitator).
Barney Wild Award
We were invited to the Barney Wild Awards on Tuesday 11th December 2012 held at Stopsley Baptist
Church. The annual awards are held in memory of Barney Wild a former Advisory Teacher for
Children in Care. Mr Blackhurst remembers Barney coming into Icknield on many occasions to work
with our students. The awards celebrate the educational achievement of children in care and provide
recognition and reward for their effort and determination,
The event was attended by the Mayor of Luton, Barney’s wife, other local dignitaries and about two
hundred children in care including ourselves. We were fortune to enough to be asked to host the
evening.
We were introduced to the audience, then we had to announce the award winners and their
achievements. These included awards for determination at school, good behaviour and progress in
lessons for example.
During the awards, Icknield’s own fantastic dance group ‘MajestiX’ performed a series of dance
routines which everyone enjoyed. MajestiX have now built such a reputation, they are invited back
every year.
After the presentations (we both received special personal awards), we met some of the other people
at the event and spoke to the Mayor.
Luton’s own celebrity X Factor finalist Beverley Trotman gave an inspirational speech about how proud
she is of Luton and how children in care should not dwell on the past but thinking about the future.
She reminded us that our grades are our passport to success that applies to everyone!
Thanks go to Mrs Brennan for nominating us for awards and also giving us the opportunity to compere
the evening, even if it was just a bit nerve racking!
Kamran Ali, Rikki Recardo (Year 11)
Mr Blackhurst adds: The organisers have spoken extremely highly of how well Kamran and Rikki
carried themselves at the event and that as hosts for the evening they were ‘fantastic’. They were a
credit to themselves, their school and families. Below is a photograph of the two boys after I
presented them with a certificate by which to remember the event
PARENT SURVEY—DECEMBER 2012
‘NO PLACE FOR BULLYING’ - UPDATE
BEHAVIOUR POLICY CONSULTATION
Mr S J Blackhurst
Parent Survey 2012/2013
Thank you so much to the 664 parents who filled in one of the Ofsted style parent survey forms at
the recent parent/Tutor Evenings held earlier this month.
I have read every single one, collated the results (with the help of some of the students!) and compiled a list of whole school issues which will be discussed and actioned at the appropriate level.
For your information, the summary table is published below: (Figures are percentages)
1
My child is happy at this School
2
My child feels safe at this
School
My child makes good progress
at this school
I receive valuable information
from the School about my
child’s progress
My child is well looked after at
this School
My child is taught well at this
School
Homework set by the school
supports my child’s learning
The School makes sure its students are well behaved
This School deals effectively
with bullying
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
11
12
13
Bullying includes persistent
name calling, racist behaviour
and homophobic bullying
The School responds well to
any concerns I raise
The School is well led and managed
I would recommend this School
to another parent
Overall, I am happy with my
child’s experience at this School
Strongly
agree/
Agree
Disagree/
Strongly
Disagree
No response
96.8
2.3
0.9
98.2
1.5
0.3
96.5
2.4
1.1
91.6
6.6
1.8
97.7
0.9
1.4
95.9
1.5
2.6
89.3
8.1
2.6
95.2
2.9
2.0
88.7
4.5
6.8
89.9
4.4
5.7
94.7
1.5
3.8
92.3
3.6
4.1
94.9
3.0
2.1
Whole School Issues Raised and Some School Responses




Eleven of the thirteen questions produced a higher Strongly Agree/Agree response compared to
last year’s survey; in only two questions did the percentage fall, Question 1 by 0.1% and
Question 13 by 0.3%.
Question 7, Homework: 9, Dealing with Bullying and 10, Responding to parents’ concerns
produced satisfaction ratings slightly below the target 90%.
The School will discuss Homework with Curriculum Leaders and Pastoral Leaders with a view to
monitoring more closely the setting, amount, quality and recording of homework from January.
The Bullying Action plan is already in place for this year and will deliver real results over the
whole school year (see below).
Responding to parental concerns has been flagged and we will raise this with all staff, we will
remind them of the 48 hour response requirement and improve our logging system.
Question 4, Information to parents about progress whilst over 90% had the second highest
Strongly Disagree/Disagree rating so will look at this issue and try to improve things particularly
in the areas parents identified (like understanding levels) before next year’s survey. We will
consider the idea of Subject Surgeries for parents, we and remind you of our Communication
with Parents—The Offer which we printed in the March Newsletter this year.
The freetext comments from parents were really helpful to us and if you left your contact details
then if needed, we will contact you to respond personally.
Apart from the issues covered above, individual parents raised the following:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Would like more information about late returns from trips, clubs and visits.
Different Maths teachers during the year.
Too much homework!
Child’s needs not being addressed.
Items stolen from PE.
Students should be allowed to make food children like in Food Technology like cakes
and cookies.
(vii) Syllabuses for parents.
(viii) Cost of Cross-Curricular week.
(ix) Student behaviour.
(x) Class teacher does not understand the pupils.
You will understand from the overall figures that these are extremely isolated cases but the comments
are useful to us because they tell us what individual parents want or what their concerns are. The
figures in the table show parents how typical are the points they raise.
I am going to take issue with a tiny number of comments made which I feel are as inaccurate as to
fact as they are unrepresentative in judgement.
The following comments were received:
‘Disappointed with talk on ‘School does not tolerate bullying’- not true’
‘My child is getting bullied and nothing is being done’
Both these comments were anonymous. The school does not tolerate bullying and I would regard
‘nothing is being done’ as a disciplinary offence. We have speed limits on the road—drivers speed, we
have drink driving laws—people drink drive; schools have anti-bullying policies-some students bully. In
all three cases they are dealt with. Why parents feel it is appropriate to knock the school in an area in
which we are trying so hard is difficult to understand. This year we have a specific Anti-Bullying Action
Plan which has been explained in previous a Newsletter. It includes amongst other things a Tutor
Group response as to how students intend to fulfil the aims of the plan and an individual written
commitment made by every student in the school in November. We have a shared responsibility to
deal with bullying; staff, students and parents, quite how in all honesty the school is supposed to
respond to ‘My child is getting bullied and nothing is being done’ when the comment is made
anonymously is grossly unfair and unrepresentative of the view of the vast majority of other parents—
88.7% of parents Strongly Agree/Agree that the school deals effectively with bullying, only 4.5%
Disagree!
There were a small number of other points raised which perhaps required some explanation. The
student safety figures (Question 2) is a spectacular statement about things like drugs or knives and
bullying in school. There is not a school in Britain of any type which does not face these issues
from time to time, they are very occasional happenings in this school and we would ask that
parents judge the school not on the fact that incidents happen from time to time but on how we
deal with them. Parents’ have a 100% commitment from every member of staff in this school that
we will keep the learning environment safe and free from the evils of society outside; when they
come inside the school, they will be dealt with.
The cost to you of Cross-Curricular week is massively subsidised by the school. We run annual
student evaluations of the experience then act on the information received. Some activities are
dropped, others added depending on the success of the activity and its value for money.
In conclusion, the survey again represent a fantastic set of results for the school, they point out the
areas we need to address and is a set of results I would challenge any Comprehensive school in
Britain to match.
Bullying Action Plan 2012/12—’No place for bullying’
As mentioned earlier, each tutor group has been discussing the
issues of bullying and has contributed one side of A4 outlining
their collective views on the subject. They were asked what
should be done in order to achieve the aims of the plan. In the
next Newsletter I will share some of the student’s ideas with you.
I have received about 1450 individual pledges made by students
on Academic Review Day. They were asked to make a personal
commitment by saying exactly what they were going to contribute
to bringing about the ‘No place for bullying’ ethos we are aiming
for. So far, student pledges include commitments to using positive
language, reporting incidences of bullying, keeping MSN/Facebook/Twitter etc comments decent
and free from abuse, setting an example to younger students, being a good role model, speaking
up when needed, support victims of bullying and many other ideas.
We report Bullying incidents termly to Governors who ask questions on your behalf and challenge
us as to the work we are going. Bullying exists in every school in Britain—it is a small scale here
but an issue to those parents and students who have suffered. We are determined to tackle the
issue. Please support the campaign by sending the right messages to your child.




Report Bullying
Let the school deal with it
Support your child and the school
Move on.
Behaviour Policy Consultation—Complete
Thank you to those of you who contributed to the Behaviour policies consultation over the past
year. The process is now complete and the next review will be in 2015/16 apart from minor
amendments. The policy and procedures have been ratified by Governors having been scrutinised
by the Student Affairs Sub-committee. They are available to be view atwww.icknield.beds.sch.uk
A very busy half term for students, teachers and for all parents and carers. Thank you for all your
support, kind words and constructive criticism. Best wishes for a happy Christmas and successful
New Year.
Mr S J Blackhurst—Deputy Headteacher
मेरी क्रिसमस और नया साल मब
ु ारक हो
Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr
Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku
Prettige Kerstdagen en een Gelukkig
‫میری کرسمس اور نیا سال‬
Feliz Navidad y un Feliz Año Nuevo
Feliz Natal e um Feliz Ano Novo
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
‫عید میالد سعید وسنة جدیدة‬
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année
圣诞和新年快乐
С Рождеством и Новым Годом
Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος
The Headteacher and Staff of Icknield High
School wish all parents, students and friends a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.