Fairwater High School

Fairwater High
“If we believe, we can achieve”
School Newsletter
MAY 2014 Fairwater High School
www.fairwater.co.uk
Tel: 01633 643950
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Moving On Up
W
elcome to our Summer
Newsletter. We have had
a fantastic Spring and
Summer term with a massive array
of positive and engaging activities
taking place.
Aberystwyth Scholarship
N
o matter what path you take in
life, if you want to be successful
there is no substitute for hard
work. Josh Powell-Gibbs is a perfect
example of how this ethos, combined
with careful preparation can reap real
rewards.
Mrs Coulson - Head teacher
A
fter
the
outstanding
improvements in our GCSE
results last year, our focus
has been to build and improve on
these with our current Year 11.
Fairwater High School has provided
all exam years (10, 11, 12 and 13)
with a wide range of additional
support
throughout
the
year,
including extra intervention lessons,
learning coaches, after school
revision, Easter and half term
revision sessions and assertive
mentoring. The aim of this is for all
pupils to achieve the maximum
grades they are capable of to give
them better life chances.
would
like
to
take
this
opportunity to say to all pupils
taking exams - you have worked
incredibly hard this year and
deserve to do well. Good Luck. I
believe in all of you!-Mrs Coulson.
I
answers. Josh
then
went Aberystwyth University
through
these
answers with Mr
Lewis (Head of
Science)
who
helped
him
modify
and
refine
them.
Finally
he
committed them
to memory.
On the day he
sat two exams - ‘Molecules to Organs’
followed by ‘Organisms to Ecosystems’,
both two hours long. His preparation
paid off and on the 21st of March he was
informed that not only had he passed but
that he had achieved the highest award,
a scholarship to the University. The
rewards for his hard work were:

An unconditional offer of a place to
study Microbiology.

Guaranteed accommodation for
three years.

£1,000 bursary for three years.
Josh Powell-Gibbs
J
osh recently applied to sit an
entrance exam to Aberystwyth
University which, if he passed with
merit, would guarantee him a place with
accommodation.
He
grabbed
the
opportunity with both hands and set
about preparing to do well. He started by
collecting together all the past entrance
exam papers and listing all the topics
which reoccurred most frequently,
researched the topics and wrote ‘model’
A GLIMPSE OF ACADEMIA
thousand word project of their choice for
a university entry, level four, higher
education qualification. These pupils
should be congratulated for this success
as this prestigious achievement will give
them an added advantage over other
applicants when applying for university.
They will have the opportunity to have
their work published in a national journal
and attend an awards
ceremony, to receive their
certificates later in the
year.
As part of their course
they take part in several
field trips to historical
Shannon Bennett, Corinne Thomas, Jessica Brabon, Holly Boxhall.
sites, after each visit they
“When I received my offer, it felt
amazing, I was aiming for a merit but to
get the ’Thomas Lewis Scholarship’ was
absolutely brilliant” Josh.
Josh hopes to work in the NHS as a
Microbiologist or Haematologist working
in a clinical laboratory identifying and
offering treatment for infections.
must produce a ten minute presentation
on an area of historical interest.
A
group of 15 talented high
flyers from year thirteen
have attended a thirty-two
hour long course at Caerleon
Campus to be taught research skills
and academic writing by History
lecturer Paul Thomas. They will use
their skills from this course to write a
Matthew Phillips, Josh and Liam Powell-Gibbs.
Another added bonus from this course,
for these hard working pupils, is
membership of the Ancient Cwmbran
Historical Society which gives them
access to archaeological digs. They can
then participate in these historical
explorations throughout the country,
during the school holidays.
THE GRAND MOVE OPENING
O
n Wednesday 15th January,
Fairwater School along with
Paraolympian gold medallist,
John Harris, held a grand opening
ceremony to celebrate becoming the
first MOVE accredited school in
Torfaen. They now have a specialised
room dedicated to the MOVE program,
enabling students with disabilities to
focus on the key skills of sitting,
Shane Summers
standing, walking and transferring using
specialist equipment, assessment and emotional speech he said “The aim of
MOVE for these students, is to achieve
analysis.
enough independence in order to gain
the anonymity afforded to able bodied
people. Your goal is to get as fit and
strong as you can in order to give you
the independence to live your own life
and TO BE YOU!”
striving towards independence. Their
parents have also noticed massive
improvements in the boys. Kyran’s
father said he had seen a change in the
mind-set of his son “he is now so
James Vodden
“It is fantastic to see these pupils
striving for independence
Paul Schofield, School Governor.
positive he thinks one day I will get
strong enough to walk”. He said “ I think
hairman of the Educational the work they have done with Kyran is
Achievement Service (EAS) in amazing”. Kyran is now strong enough
Wales,
Steve
Davis, to have taken up wheelchair rugby
John Harris - Olympic Gold
congratulated the school and said “The based at the Active Living Centre in
MOVE program enables the school to Newport.
Each student has their own ‘mobility look at achievement in a wider sense,
ames’ mum, Linda Vodden, said
not just from an academic
passport’ which records
“out of the ten day school timetable
side;
expectations
and
what
their
current
he is engaged in physiotherapy
ambitions of the school are
achievements are and how
many. The pleasure on the nine out of those ten days. Life at home
they can use MOVE to
children’s faces shows real is getting much easier as he becomes
achieve new goals to
stronger and more independent”.
achievement”
become more independent.
C
J
M
r Harris cut the
ribbon to open the
new room, and
complemented the school
for creating such a dynamic
innovative program. In an
Kyran Bishop
The three boys involved in
the program; Kyran Bishop,
James Vodden and Shane
Summers
have
all
flourished and become
progressively stronger, all
“No one wants to be limited to a
wheelchair. You want to be able to
move about and live your life. This
programme lets us do that.”
Shane Summers
FAIRWATER HELPS BUILD THE SHARD
E
x Fairwater High student
and currently one of Britain’s foremost structural
engineers, Dr Richard Mawer has
played a major role in building
London's latest iconic building,
the Shard.
Richard was the senior engineer
responsible for the core of the
building providing its central stability. "It was a fantastic project to
get involved in," he says.
"Everyone in London has seen it
go up and it's very impressive.
When you stand at the bottom
and look up, it almost disappears
into the sky."
aving seen Fairwater
High’s success on TV,
Richard was prompted to
congratulate us and remembers
how ‘the physics you taught me
at Fairwater School has been
used to design the tallest building in Europe, That’s right, it’s a
small claim to fame. It just goes
to show that Fairwater High always served its students well. The Shard
Please say hello to all the ‘old’
teachers that used to be there
when I was, I must find time to come back and visit’
Thanks Richard and congratulations.
H
Richard Mawer
Best of British
P
Stock Market Challenge
aige Holiday and Lucy Stokes
are Fairwater High sixth formers
who are both talented dancers
ho really understands the stock
working in the community as coaches
market? I think most adults
for Powerhouse Dance Studio. They
have a vague idea of what
teach years five and six at happens but if questioned on the details
Greenmeadow Junior school every would probably struggle. Considering its
Tuesday.
importance regarding the economic
success of our country Mrs Ager
(Assistant Head teacher), enrolled a
team of our Year 9 students to compete
in ‘The Stock Market Challenge’
organised
by
Cardiff University.
W
Lucy and Paige
T
hey have been delivering weekly
sessions
since
September.
Lucy said “I am passionate
about dancing and I really like to
inspire young children.” Paige - “the
response from the kids is very
rewarding, it’s great to see the
excitement on their faces when we turn
up, I love it.”
Lucy and Paige are also talented
choreographers and have competed at
the highest level of street dance.
Paige has achieved second place in
the Welsh duo championships and has
been highly placed in the solo Welsh
Championship. Both girls are a real
credit to our school.
“Although
our
pupils would be
competing against
much
more
experienced teams
from
other
schools, I knew
they’d put up a
great show, and
Mrs Ager
they
didn’t
disappoint
me.
They worked in teams of five, trading in
shares and foreign currency. Each team
started with a £15,000 fund which they
had to invest based on their
interpretation of market information from
newspapers, and from TV and radio
bulletins” said Mrs Agar.
“The
Stock
Market
Challenge
encourages pupils to grasp opportunities
for improving their understanding of real
world issues. In this way the Challenge
helps raise pupils’ aspirations through an
entertaining activity that provides an
enjoyable experience for everyone
involved – not least the teachers.”
T
he competition gave participants
the chance to experience the
excitement of buying and selling
shares on a live trading floor. The
initiative taught young people how the
financial markets work and encouraged
them to develop key skills such as
application of number, communication,
problem-solving, and working with
others. The team with the
highest valued fund at the
Damien Davies, Ryan Temby
closing bell won.
Jack Gibbons, Emily Howard,
Joshua Morgan
Luke Davies Lucy Zennadi.
Megan Woodbury
Nichole Jones
O
ur team performed
exceptionally
well,
role
playing
as
financial managers, media
consultants,
investment
managers, buyers and sellers
etc., all the time liaising with
each other and making
complex decisions.
They
were placed fifth out of
sixteen, a very creditable
result for their first foray into
the stock market.
Royal Welsh College of Music
Best of British
T
heir success with Greenmeadow
pupils is also outstanding, after
only two months training their
young team have qualified for the
World Championships and British
Championships
with
dances
choreographed by the two girls.
They both entered for the fifth year of
the ‘Torfaen’s Got To Dance’
competition. If they win they will be
invited to dance at The Race for Life in
Cwmbran and the Torfaen Sports Day
in August.
Well Done Lucy and Paige.
A
change is as good as a rest.
Sometimes you need a break
from routine, too much of
anything can get boring. A visit by The
Royal Welsh College of Music was a
breath of fresh air for our Year 7 pupils.
T
heir
powerful
and
fun
performance was a real treat for everyone, with the conductor encouraging
everyone to get involved by humming and moving in time with the music.
“It’s great for our pupils
to experience live music,
it gives them an insight
into what is possible in
their lives, a great
experience’
Mrs Chamberlain..
Miss Chamberlain.
CONSUMER QUIZ
E
nabling
our
students
to
experience
challenging
situations and providing them
with the ‘tools’ to deal with them is an
important aspect of teaching at
Fairwater High.
Recently four of our year 12 students
took part in a Torfaen Trading
Standards Consumer Quiz against St.
Albans School, West Monmouth School
and Llantarnam School at the
potentially intimidating Standards Office
of Torfaen Coucil with a mixed
audience of council officials, the public
and teachers.
During the day Executive Member Cllr
Pontypool
and
Community Thea
Emily
Council/TCBC Cllr. The students
taking part were: Joshua Hurn,
Eleanor Kennard, Thea Marshall
and Emily Birbeck. They were
accompanied by Miss Redmond
who congratuled them on their
confidence and positive attitude
on the day. The Quiz was nail
biting with some very tough
questions and the students and
The Mayor
supporting staff are to be
congratulated
on
their
Josh
Eleanor
sportsmanship and the depth of
their knowledge and preparation.
Well done also to members of the Which organisation issues flood
audience who guessed correct answers warnings to the general public?
to Spot Questions.
How long does somebody normally
have to return unwanted goods
ongratulations
bought online or from a catalogue?
everyone and thanks What is the generally accepted
for
representing number of calories that a person
Fairwater High so well.
would need to burn off to lose one
The final results were: Ist: pound in weight?
St Alban's, 2nd Fairwater What 'B' was the UK's first credit
and joint 3rd Abersychan & card?
West Mon.
Cllr Gwyneira Clark said " You are all
Winners!" and thanked staff and
SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
Which country was the latest to join students for taking part in the
competition.
the EU in July 2013?
C
Gwyneira Clark warmly welcomed the
teams, their supporters and invited
guests: Cllr Neil Mason, Mayor of
Torfaen, Cllr Giles Davies, Chair of
Charlotte Furley’s - Hole in One!
P
erhaps the most satisfying
aspect of teaching is sharing the
experience of a young pupil
enjoying your subject and developing
the skills necessary to set themselves
on the road to a successful career.
Mrs Black was overjoyed with the news
that Charlotte Furley, one of her
students, has been offered a training
place at the world famous Gleneagles
Luxury Hotel and premier golf venue.
excitement.
The training involves living in the hotel
for one year, whilst being mentored by
the renowned two star Michelin chef,
Andrew Fairlie.
Andrew Fairlie is one of this country's most
celebrated chefs and, with two Michelin
stars. Andrew oversees a menu that
blends the best in French and Scottish
cooking, with an emphasis on outstanding
ingredients from the Parisian markets and
fine suppliers closer to home.
C
harlotte’s interest in cooking
started at home. Her dad’s a
chef, and she continued in year
7 through to GCSE and A Level when
she studied Hospitality and Catering.
At Gleneagles she will eventually be
involved in the design, layout and
Mrs Black and Charlotte
running of the restaurant, and be
expected to memorise the menu and
When she heard the news, Charlotte offer advice on the extensive wine list.
couldn’t contain herself and literally According to the Gleneagles training
screamed down the phone with schedule Charlotte: “ can expect highly
Gleneagles - world famous
detailed
on-the-job
training,
supplemented by external courses and
accreditation. We encourage the crossfertilisation of jobs within the restaurant
so you can better understand your
colleagues' role. We also encourage
and organise short work experience
'stages' at other
establishments
of a similar level
throughout
Europe..
”An
amazing
opportunity for
Charlotte,
we
wish her well”.
Andrew Fairlie
I
Cardiff City
Disability Coaching
I
think it’s fair to say that Fairwater High is
very innovative and explores all avenues
in order to improve the quality of life and
enable increased independence for our
disabled students. Of course whenever
possible, the activities need to be enjoyable.
This was definitely the case when two
‘disability coaches’ from Cardiff City arrived
at school to show us the fun to be had from
‘wheelchair sport’.
MAYORS CHARITY CONCERT
F
airwater High School held host to
the Mayors Charity Concert in
March. It was well supported by
our amazing choir in conjunction with
choirs from Coed Eva School, Henllys
School and Greenmeadow School.
We were also lucky enough to be able
to show off some of our most talented
musical students: Rowena Timm, Lori
Nicholson, Olivia Furman and Chelsi
Davey, in a vocal ensemble, and an
instrumental ensemble trio of Dan
Greany, Hannah Kindred and Sarah
Williams.
A
ll monies
raised
went to
the
Mayor’s
three
chosen
charities — Ty
Hafan,
The
Willow
Foundation and
the Alzheimers
Society.
The Mayor of Torfaen, councillor
Wayne Tomlinson, officially launched
his charity appeal last July.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
H
The coaches were Chris McDermot and
Josh Law. They taught the boys James
Vodden, Kyran Bishop and Shane
Summers, wheelchair football, tennis, and
skittles.
The boys really enjoyed the
challenge and the opportunity to compete
on their own terms in sports designed to be
accessible to them.
annah Zennadi has been awarded
the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award.
Hannah has displayed outstanding
commitment to her voluntary work as a play
helper since the age of 13. Hannah
currently works with one young man called,
‘Ben’ who has Downs Syndrome and
Autism. Hannah has found her experience
with Ben extremely rewarding having the
following to say:
relationship. He inspires me every day.
When I leave school I definitely want a
career in Care, working with disabled
children.
ore pupils should take part in the
Playscheme – they
e
should be more
d m re
e
t
a
exposed to children
tiva l C
mo ocia ing”
with disabilities
s
S rd
a
to see how
n h lth & rewa
e
B ea so
H
er
aft my work
amazing
g
n
n
e
i
i
ok well d th
they
are. You
o
n
L
“ do
I fi
get such a buzz
to m as
from seeing the children
exa
have so much fun. It is a great
opportunity for people to see how
hard-working you are and as soon as you
have done it once, you will want to do it all
the time. You will love it! The support you
get from the parents and the Playscheme
staff is amazing.”
“I have gained so much experience; looking
after someone else has helped me become
more mature. Ben and I have a really close
Hannah's award was presented by Cllr
Brian Mawby, executive member for
Children and Young People.
M
Shane Summers
Kyran Bishop James Vodden
LIVING FOR SPORT
D
uring
February the
former
Olympic
athlete
Vernon
Samuels visited Fairwater High to share with some of our pupils
how sport helped him secure a successful and rewarding life.
ernon comments: “By tapping into the experience of elite
sports people, Sky Sports ‘Living for Sport’ provides
powerful insights and real life examples of athletes’
journeys to sporting success as a means of cultivating the
aspirations of students. The programme is highly relevant to all
young people as it focuses on key success factors in sport and
beyond, through practical engagement activities which encourage
and influence young people to tap into their own potential.”
James loved it so much he is going to
training sessions in Cardiff. The others also
really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the
trainers to come back.
V
The programme is based on the
following six key skills to success:






Mental toughness
Hunger to achieve
People skills
Sports and life knowledge
Breaking barriers
Planning for success.
Vernon
THE GOAL - "We're using sport stars and sport skills to improve
the lives of thousands of young people. Sport helps people think,
helps people listen, helps people to speak up and helps people
work together. Different sports inspire different people but one
thing is true: there's a sport for everyone and it can change your
life."
DARREN CAMPBELL - Sky Sports Living for Sport Ambassador
GARDENING CLUB
F
airwater School has a dedicated
garden for the ‘Hobbits Garden
Club’ run by the irrepressible Ms
Black. The Garden Club opened its
greenhouse doors
again
at
the
beginning of March
and everyone was
encouraged to get
involved.
The garden now
sports a poly tunnel
kindly donated by
Communities First,
which is being used
to grow plants,
Lauren Hughes
vegetables
and
flowers from seed.
The aim is to use produce from the
garden to make soup that can be sold to
raise funds for the
club.
They
have
already
successfully
achieved second place
in the inter-school
cookery competition at
Abergavenny
Food
Festival last year.
s Iona Black
Joseph Furley
(Food
Technology),
the
driving
force
behind the club, is currently applying for
2 grants, one of which is for £10,000. If
our bid is successful the money will be
used to refurbish the old caretakers
bungalow, providing space for a variety
of craft based teaching stations.
M
“We have a ‘great
crop’
of
talented
young
writers
in
Fairwater. I’m not
surprised by their
success
in
this
competition.”
Miss Crane (English
Teacher)
A Twist in the Tale
F
airwater High submitted pupil’s work for
Young Writers ‘A Twist in the Tale’ mini
saga competition. A selection of our
pupils were successful, and their work will appear the book ‘A Twist in The Tale - Tales from
Wales,’ copies of which will be sent to the BritMiss Crane
ish Library and further libraries across Britain, a
complimentary copy will also be sent to Fairwater High.
ur pupils work was selected on the
“Congratulations once again, I hope this
quality of imagination, perception, exachievement will encourage confident
pression and creative use of language
participation in future creative writing
and we hope their achievement will encourage
activities.”
them to continue exploring and enjoying the
Shobhna Patel - Editor (Young Writers) .
English language.
O
LANGUAGE INITIATIVES
Miss Groskop the Head of Languages has
developed exciting new initiatives to improve
interest in languages within Fairwater High.
These have resulted in a more positive
involvement in lessons which have an inviting
combination of challenging and fun activities
which ‘take the pupils outside the norm’.
Miss Groskop is particularly good at achieving
Art Club
O
Have you ever felt that all your
hard work is going unnoticed,
that others are getting all the
praise and you’re getting
none? This can feel unfair
and so we have introduced ‘Star of The
Week’, which recognises those pupils who
Tia Powell Yr 8
Tia
has
been
nominated for her
dedication
and
commitment
to
achieving her best.
She
is
polite,
respectful and hard
working
at
all
times, and she is a
pleasure to work
with.
Miss Groskop
with a
winning
poster.
Fairwater School would like to
encourage any parents who would like
to help out in our garden or donate any
equipment, pots, seeds, etc Please
contact the school on 01633 643950 .
ne of our more recent lunchtime
activities offered to our year
seven pupils is the ‘Art Club’.
Miss Evans, has organised the club
“because
I
enjoy
teaching Year seven
and this year they are a
particularly
lovely
bunch.” The pupils are
currently making a cute
‘Christmouse’
decoration from textiles,
which involves cutting
out patterns, sewing and
decorating.
“The beauty of our club is
pupils have
more
freedom
to
express
themselves creatively as
well as socialising and
sharing ideas in a very
relaxed,
less
formal
atmosphere”. The pupils are already
producing some great work and
everyone has been enjoying themselves
in the process.
STAR OF THE WEEK
this and has put in place a programme of
termly language competitions, a poetry
competition linked with the Young Writers
Organisation and a trip to Paris in order to
practice the language and see the sights etc.
Kids seem to love it, she has seen a great
response from the pupils throughout the
different year groups and this has been
reflected in the winners of the latest termly
languages competition.
“I would like to congratulate Josh Morgan
(y10) for winning this term's languages
competition!.”
work hard week in week out and perform
consistently well without fuss or seeking
attention.
They are nominated by subject teachers
and the progress managers who in turn
inform Mr Dixon (Deputy Head) who they
think is the most deserving for each year
group
The parents are then informed by text and a
photograph of our ‘Star of The Week’ is
displayed on our website along with a
description of their good work.
Other Winners this week:
Ella Copeman Yr 10 - has made huge
progress in her reading analysis. She has
put in a lot of effort over the last few weeks
and achieved excellent marks in past exam
papers.
Ieuan Chad Yr 11 - has worked very hard
and conscientiously. He has co-operated
and completed all tasks.
The Power of Poetry
Miss Crane
The English department at Fairwater High has always encouraged
our students to enter competitions in order to challenge and motivate
them. They’ve had great success over the years and currently have
‘stars’ in several competitions.
Miss Crane has recently had several ‘winners’ in ‘The Power of
Poetry - Poems from Wales’ as part of a competition through The
Young Writers Organisation. Our pupils poems will be published
and distributed throughout Wales.
BBC
NEWS REPORT
In Their Own Words
Below are two pupil’s views on their
recent participation in a BBC News
Project. I think their words best illustrate
the value of such activities. Over to the
them:“Last term eight pupils, including myself,
from year 9 were lucky enough to be
part of the BBC News School Report
team. I had an amazing experience, and
enjoyed both planning and finalising the
report.
In order to be part of the team, we were
interviewed by Helen Coulson (Head
teacher), Lydia Davies (Head girl) and
Miss Stevens (English), giving possible
scenarios of what it’s like to be on a
reporting team. Before the interview, I
got very nervous, and found it very
difficult to concentrate on my work in the
lesson before, luckily, I managed to
gather courage and went to Mrs
Coulson’s office. When the interview
was taking place, they all tried their best
to keep me calm, and luckily I didn’t
have a panic attack! When we found out
that we had made the team, I was so
pleased.
In the first meeting, Miss Stevens
congratulated us for making the News
Report Team, and then we decided on
who would be responsible for the
following jobs in the team:
Allanah: Researcher
Alysha: Organizer
Ben: Technical
Carys: Team Leader
Hannah: Script Writer
Lauren: Presenter
Morgan: Technical
Rhys: Presenter
We spent one lunch time a week
preparing the report, so that it would be
ready to be filmed and edited on the
news day.
On the day, we spent the first half filming
the introductions, interviews, main report
and ‘outro’. We also had to prepare the
room so there was a small ‘news reporter
desk’ and make sure we stayed on
schedule. At one point, Rhys said that Mrs
Coulson was the deputy head twice and
called Mr Smith the acting Head!
Unfortunately, we found out that we had to
cut out several bits of the footage we had
filmed, since we had 8 minutes extra! Ben
and Morgan worked very hard on editing
the report down.
Overall, I had an amazing experience, a
lot of fun, but also experienced some of
the hardships of creating a news report. I
now respect everyone who takes part in
this work and I would love to have an
experience like this again.”
Hannah Kindred
“Recently eight students from year nine
top set English were selected to take part
in the BBC School News Report, to write
and produce a report that could potentially
be aired on the BBC news.
Meetings took place when members of the
team discussed what the report would be
about and started preparing questions for
interviews. Two news reports by Rhys
James and Lauren Cheshire were
selected,
On Thursday 27th March the team got
together to record the report and
interviews. They spent the day recording
and editing, it was great fun and helped to
improve our confidence. The project also
improved our ability to work as a team,
which was a key skill in making the report
work.” Alysha Bell.
The finished film is available to watch on
the BBC and Fairwater High School
websites.
Jay Knowles is a man on a mission! After experiencing some problems interacting with other
pupils in his year, he decided to try to help them understand some of the issues he has. With the
help of his Head of Year, Mrs Haynes, he produced a presentation to demonstrate some of the
social situations that pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) struggle with. Due to its
success, this presentation has now been shown to all pupils to make them aware of the
difficulties pupils with ASD experience.
To highlight his success, Jay wrote to the Queen to let her know of the work he has done to
make people more informed about ASD. He received a signed reply from Buckingham Palace,
congratulating him on his work. Not content with providing just Fairwater pupils with this
information, Jay now wants to take it further. “The next step is to present it in the Primary
Schools”, says Jay. Keep up the good work.
CAMBRIDGE
VISIT
N
ine of our year 10 students
recently visited Emmanuel
College Cambridge to get a
taste of life in one of our top
universities. The day started with a
general talk about university life
from previous students, followed by
a tour of the college facilities and a
lecture on neurolinguistics.
T
hey were then actively
involved in a challenge with
other
visiting
schools,
debating whether students should
go to university in the present
economic climate.
Louise Nott
HOLOCAUST
S
ometimes all the theory in the
world cannot convey the truth
behind people’s experiences.
This is certainly the case when it comes
to the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi
Germany.
Perhaps the only way to remotely get a
sense of the horror is by listening to
someone’s personal experience. Below
is Thea Marshall’s (Year 12) response
to such an occasion.
V
isiting Caerleon University and
listening to Steven Frank was
an eye-opening and very
moving experience.
As he spoke,
stories previously read in books and
heard second hand came to life, making
me realise the extent of how horrifying
life must have been in the holocaust as
a Jew.
Second World War ended, Mr Frank
was a nine year old in the
Theresienstadt ghetto in what was then
Czechoslovakia - and out of 15,000
children held there, only 93 survived to
be liberated by the Soviet army. Mr
Frank was five years old when the
Nazis occupied his home town of
Amsterdam, he still remembers the
sound of their jackboots in the street.
Ieuan Cooke
“Our students participated very well
and more than held their own
against very stiff competition, I was
proud of their performance”, Claire
McClaughlin.
Chloe Rogers, Chloe Wellings
Bethan Durbin, Lori Nicholson.
T
alking to undergraduates of
Cambridge, it is clearly
apparent that this was a
fantastic university, students learnt
that going to Cambridge was
advantageous in that class sizes
are smaller and you get more
contact time with your tutor,
therefore
better
results
are
achieved as expectations and
standards are very high.
“The facilities at Cambridge are
amazing, really modern and
vibrant”.
Thea Marshall
"I was suddenly different from all my
other friends. I was no longer allowed to
play in the park, my father could not
take public transport to work, I couldn't
go into the swimming pool or the zoo"
he recalls. His own father, who had
secretly worked with the Dutch
resistance, had been arrested, tortured
and killed while they were still in
Steven Frank
Amsterdam. His last memory is of him
saying goodbye as he left for work one
was mesmerised by every word morning.
said and could have listened to him
talk all day. It was a privileged,
Inspirational! Imagining six million
once in a lifetime opportunity.
people being murdered was
His story of how his mother went to
incomprehensible. But Mr Frank
work in a concentration camp to see his
managed to convey the horror as
father for the final time was heart
follows breaking yet amazing, even for an “Think of the Olympic stadium filled with
outsider. It was admirable how, despite 95,000 men women and children being
all he went through as a child he was
killed every day for 3 months, that’s
such a strong and lively character,
how many they killed.” Aaron May.
comfortable enough to talk about his
terrible experiences. Stories like his Even though this was a long time ago ,
should never be forgotten.
Mr Frank’s talk really shows graphically
what can happen when there is
r Frank spoke of imprisonment, intolerance, hatred, prejudice and
starvation and terror, a grim misconceptions. He now uses his
story, told with great restraint experiences to help people re-align their
and understatement, that showed great attitudes towards immigrants and
courage and integrity.
When the foreigners.
I
M
‘BBC Recognise Success’
Fairwater High was recently visited by
the BBC’s ‘Week In Week Out’ Team to
document the initiatives we have
introduced, which have had such a
significant impact on ‘teaching and
learning,’
Our success was contrasted with
another school which is currently facing
special measures, highlighting the
aspirations embodied in the culture,
ethos, vision etc, of Fairwater High,
which have resulted in our improved
results.
The BBC team focused on our systems
for tracking pupils progress and
consequently the targets they are
expected to achieve.
An important
benefit of a positive atmosphere in an
improving school is pupils now believe
they ‘can do it’, and increasingly take
responsibility for their education - this is
the real success of Fairwater High.
We have also developed a ‘Referral
Unit’, a discreet, specialist area which
accommodates the small numbers of
disaffected pupils with challenging
behaviour who need extra support.
The aim is to reform their behaviour so
they can return to their ‘normal’ classes.
The unit is managed by two qualified
teachers and Teaching Assistants who
together have made a real difference in
raising expectations and reintegrating
these pupils.
During their visit the TV crew filmed a
variety of lessons and discussed the
dynamics of team teaching with Mr
Malcolm Iles, our Physics Teacher. The
maths department also came under
scrutiny as they impressively doubled
their pass rate at GCSE and are now
actively sharing good practice with other
departments around the school.
The filming continues in London where
our Headteacher, Mrs Coulson, and the
Head from the potentially failing school,
met with Dame Sally Coates a
Headteacher who has successfully
transformed an extremely challenging
school in London.
Together they
discussed Dame Sally’s strategies and
Mrs Coulson will undoubtedly adapt and
use the knowledge gained to make
further improvements at Fairwater High
and continue to take it forward into the
future.
Skiing Trip 2014
It might have been one of the wettest winters since
records began, but for 25 of our year 10 to 13
students it’ll be a winter they’ll never forget. Their
journey started on a luxury coach and ended in St.
Anton, Austria, one of the top ski resorts in the
world, where they enjoyed ten exciting and fun
packed days of skiing as well as a host of other
activities in the evenings, in order to build on
improving personal skills.
Helen Coulson
Following
Estyn’s
Annual
Report, which stated ‘Education
in Secondary Schools is not
improving.
Schools rated
unsatisfactory had gone up from
14%
to
23%.’
However
Fairwater High has completely
bucked this trend and has been
the centre of much media
interest.
With Mrs Coulson
(Headteacher) interviewed by
Radio Wales, ITV Wales,
National BBC and Radio 5 Live,
all interested in how she has
motivated and inspired the staff
to implement new initiatives
such as data tracking, progress
checks,
intervention
etc.,
resulting in the success which
has been nationally recognised.
Mrs Coulson was congratulated
by Ann Keane (Estyn’s Chief
Inspector) on the school’s
performance and her impressive
foray into the world of media.
“It was a really great experience, a
chance of a lifetime. I made lots of
new friends and the teachers were
fantastic.”
Kyle Saunders.
“The best part of the trip was going to the
top of the mountain , where I could see for
miles, all the mountain tops and valleys, it
was absolutely amazing and fantastic”
Charlotte Jarvis.
As you can see from the photographs, the weather
was perfect and the skiing fantastic. The students
were carefully supervised by four experienced
members of staff who thoroughly enjoyed the
experience. These events help build a positive
rapport between teacher and student which transfers
into the classroom helping build a positive working
environment which benefits everyone.
After a hard day’s skiing the pupils unwound with
trips to Bowling, a disco, a talent show, football, and
cinema. Thanks to the staff, Miss Booton, Mr Lloyd,
Mr Powell, Miss Hobson for organising such a great
trip with a fully packed agenda - great job.
“The trip of a lifetime. The most beautiful resort I’ve ever seen, like a
picture postcard. The pupils were amazing, I was proud to be in
charge of them, a credit to Fairwater High.”
Miss Booton (teacher).
Welsh Football Cap
R
oss Davies, one of our Football
academy’s stars, was recently
picked to play for the Welsh
under 18’s football team. The game
was played at Llanwern High School’s
ground against Australia. Ross had an
outstanding game in defence and in a
very tight match scored the winning
goal. Wales won 3-2.
Ross Davies
Fairwater High’s Football Academy has
been attracting high quality footballers
from all over South Wales for many
years now, and has gained a reputation
for giving passionate young sportsmen
the best chance of success.
bviously it is extremely difficult
to succeed as a professional
footballer and Del Cheedy, our
experienced
coach,
understands
the
responsibility he has to
ensure his players are
under no illusions. Having
said this, he has had great
results, with a considerable
number of ‘his boys’
Head coach Mr Cheedy
signing for teams in the
Welsh Premiership, as
school life, and is sure that the
semi-professionals.
discipline and work ethic he instills
r Cheedy insists during football training, has a very
that his players beneficial ‘knock on effect’ on their
prioritise the
studies.
academic side of their
O
M
Cardiff City Coaches Rate Our Girls
T
he Girls Football team at Fairwater High were
recently lucky enough to have Cardiff City Football
Club come along to give them a coaching session.
The football team made up of 19 girls from years 7 to 10
joined the coaches and team manager in the leisure centre
to practice skills such as; dribbling, passing and shooting,
all of which are essential in a competitive game. They also
worked on their core stability, agility and speed by changing
direction, pace and avoiding the opposition.
Celtic Football club who in
collaboration with Fairwater High
run our school’s Football Academy.
The Manager said “I am very
impressed with the footballs skills
of these girls and will be putting
them in our team”.
F
airwater girls football team is
going from strength to
alking to
strength and is actively
one of supported by Helen Coulson, our
the
coaches, Huw
Head Teacher. who said
Day, he said
“eventually I would like a
“we engineer
girls football academy here
the sessions to
at Fairwater High”.
maximise the
fun factor, so
that
the
children are working on their key skills without even
knowing it”.
“I can tell the girls have
The Cardiff CF Community and Education program aims to
been well trained, their
provide children with the abilities to enjoy the game of
ball control is close and
football whilst at the same time developing their skills.
skillful and their heads
Football gives children the chance to make their own
are up when dribbling,
decisions, to show leadership, trust and a means to
therefore
we
can
improve. It can also provide an escape mechanism for
advance
their
training
to
children whose lives are difficult and challenging.
suit
their
level.”
our members of our girls football, Rachel Watkins, Tia
Huw Day
Everett, Paige Mayo and Luciana Owen, were
recently given the chance to play with Cwmbran
T
F
Trampolining Club
A
F
ll members of the
gymnastics team get
the opportunity each
term to try out for a British
gymnastics
trampoline
proficiency award 1-15.
Trampolinists must have
reached level 9 before they
can enter the Elite Club so
both of our pupils, Nicole
and Ethan have done
amazingly well.
airwater School in conjunction with the 5x60 club
run a Trampolining Club twice a week. Within this
club there is an Elite Community team which
includes two pupils from Fairwater School; Nicole Lloyd
(year 11) and Ethan Griffiths (year 7).
Nicole said “I have been
training for 6 years now and
like working with younger
members of the team to
encourage
and
inspire
them”.
Nicole
has
been
trampolining
for
six
years, and is a very
talented
trampolinist,
coming first in the Welsh
Schools Championship in
January.
Ethan Griffiths is relatively knew to the Elite Team but
after 9 months of training did amazingly well, coming first
in the Welsh Gradings in Cardiff.
Nicole Lloyd & Ethan Griffiths
The club takes part in
regional
schools
competitions,
club
competitions and displays.
Nicole in action! Members follow a specialist
training
program
that
includes fitness, stamina, conditioning and flexibility to
maintain high levels of training.
Ethan said “I enjoy the training, it is fun, energetic and
makes me feel healthier and therefore more focused in
school.
I
n order to encourage children to take part in more
physical activity the Welsh Assembly Government has
introduced the 5x60 club, inspiring children to take
part in regular and frequent activity, setting a target of
seeing 90% of children taking part by 2020.
ur
O
ve ol ”
a
S
“ cho
S
F
airwater High Sixth Form
pupils feel so strongly
about ‘Saving Fairwater
High’, they decided to make a
video, to rap about how the
school has massively improved
over recent years.
A
Left to right: Hannah Hardwick, Connor Manley, Mr Sam Miller, Joseph Parton.
appears as the blonde puppet thinks
“the pupils have seen a turn-around at
this school and their worry is that it
may all get dragged back down. Their
concern is for education standards,
they want the status quo.”
he video, which parodies the
theme music to 1990’s TV
series, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel
who
puppet with a moustache (the
parent) refuses to send their
child to Fairwater, but the child
insists “they set high standards and
they make it real clear, you have to
work hard if you want a career.”
Headteacher,
Mrs
Coulson
T
Air’ was filmed and edited by our
students and uses puppets to rap
about the changes the school will
have to face over the coming months.
ased on projections of pupil
numbers, a new school will be
opening in September 2015
and Fairwater has been proposed as
the most suitable site.
B