THE PAULINE QUIRKE ACADEMY

Kira Lambert in Year 8 and Fraser Stone in Year 7, both from Holt House, recently had a fantastic experience with their Performing Arts  group 'The Pauline Quirke Academy',  when they travelled to London's West End to perform at Her Majesty's Theatre in a musical show called  'Lazy Ace' with the three other best PQA's in the country.  As a result of this Kira, Fraser and their friends have passed their Trinity Exam in Musical Theatre with flying colours and will be receiving a certificate very soon. We were also delighted to hear that ex pupil now young adult - James Millward starred in this piece too.

We follow their careers with interest!

 

SPORTS UPDATE

Commiserations to our Year 11 Rugby team as they narrowly lost to Chew Valley in the Super 8 Quarter final by 3 tries to 2.

Well done to our Year 8 and Year 11 Football teams for progressing to the next stage of the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Cup 2016.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

On Monday 22^nd February Key Stage 3 students took part in an attempt to break the World Record for the most people taking part in Simultaneous Literature Quizzes.  This was a venture undertaken with other schools in multiple venues.

The current record is 2,679 people quizzing simultaneously.  The paper work has been sent to Guinness World Records for verification, and we will know the outcome on World Book Day on the 3^rd of March if we have met their very strict criteria to break the record.

We had 263 very excited students taking part on Monday, which was also turned into a House Competition.  Kingsley won the House Competition and we will update you when we hear the outcome from the Guinness World Record Team.

MARLWOOD TRIP TO BRISTOL UNIVERSITY

Marlwood School Year 10 and selected Year 9 students experienced a unique opportunity today as they visited Bristol University to discover what it is like to attend university and live as a full time university student. Nearly 130 students were able to sit in the Great Hall of the Wills’ building for an in depth presentation on all aspects of university life. As many students appeared to confuse the location for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts they learnt about all aspects of study and life in such prestigious surroundings. Students were also given a tour of Bristol University by student ambassadors, provided with lunch in the university refectory and sampled a Science Lecture on ice cream making and a Law Lecture debating teenager medical rights.

Student verbal feedback and information collated in a questionnaire of the day was extremely positive with lots of discussions shared in regards to applying to university and seeking to achieve the grades at GCSE and A Level which would make this dream a reality.

Well done to all those who took part and they will now hopefully challenge their own aspirations for higher education.

RETURN TO A CAREER IN TEACHING AND GET BACK TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Whether you left to bring up a family or explore a different career, returning to teaching gives you the chance to make a difference every day.  Bring your skills back to the classroom and we’ll support you at every step to ensure your return is smooth and tailored to meet your needs.

Groups of schools will be running a new initiative to help teachers return to the classroom.  Each school taking part will be able to provide a free package of bespoke support to help qualified teachers return in a way that best suits them.

The support provided by the Return to Teaching programme could include subject knowledge and classroom training, behaviour management advice, a guide to assessment frameworks and current initiatives, as well as one to one mentoring.  You can apply until the end of March 2016.

Visit education.gov.uk/returners to receive more information about how to apply for the programme.

HELP US TO SAFEGUARD SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S CHILDREN

We are raising awareness of how parents/carers of children can help to keep children safe, happy and well if they are ‘privately fostered’.

It is the public’s shared duty to help their local council identify children and young people who are living away from home.

Parents, carers and professionals should inform South Gloucestershire Council if:

·         They know of a child who is living with someone other than a parent of close relative

·         They are looking after someone else’s child.

 

If this arrangement involves a child under the age of 16 (18 if disabled) and lasts for 28 days or more, it is a known private fostering.  Close relatives are defined at step-parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles or aunts.  For example this could be:

·         A child living with family friends because parents have separated or are unwell

·         A teenager living with the family of a boy/girlfriend

·         A child from overseas, in this country for education or healthcare reasons

It is a priority of South Gloucestershire’s Safeguarding Board to work with these children and their carers to make sure they don’t miss out on the support available to them, including essential welfare checks.

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE SUPPORT GROUP

Supportive Parents is a charity providing information, advice and support to parents, children and young people with any type of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND). 

The next support groups are at:

Brimsham Green Secondary School, Room 1, Supportive Education Unit, Broad Lane, Yate, BS37 7 LB (first building after school Reception on Tuesday 15^th March and Tuesday 17^th May from 7.30 pm – 9pm

Kingswood Children’s Centre, Hollow Road, Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, BS15 9TP on Tuesday 16^th February and Tuesday 19^th April from 7.30 – 9 pm.

For more details contact their Information, Advice and Support Line on 0117 989 7725 or www.supportiveparents.org.uk

THE RUFF GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE

The Performing Arts and English Faculties hosted a very special performance on Friday 5th February for the whole of Year 8.

Students from the world renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre School joined us on their current tour of 'The Ruff Guide to Shakespeare', a play that has been especially written to mark the four hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

We enjoyed silly sketches, toe-tapping songs, daft dance routines and extracts from all the famous and some less well known plays.  This 'Horrible Histories' style show was perfect for a Year 8 audience, who were a superb audience, firing interesting and thought provoking questions at the cast afterwards. None of us could believe the energy and skill of the performers, who played multiple musical instruments as well as acting, singing and dancing.

Years 8 were inspired and several spoke out about their desire to follow their dreams in the future and pursue career paths in the performing and creative arts. Our congratulations to Toby Hulse, the director, who came along and treated local teachers to a superb training session afterwards.

A great occasion and a big treat for old and young alike!

POST 16 CAREERS EVENT

On Friday 5th February Marlwood 6th form provided all Year 12 students with the opportunity to attend a range of activities and workshops to support them with the crucial decisions of what they do after Year 13.  Members of the SGS Careers Service advised students on post 18 options, careers, higher education, further training, apprenticeships and gap years. Those students involved found the interactive sessions extremely helpful and beneficial in shaping their next steps.

 

YEAR 9 OPTIONS EVENING

Year 9 Options Evening was held last night and was really well attended by parents, gathering information to help them guide their son/daughter on which GCSE courses will be most suitable for them.  The information booklet is on the website for anyone unable to attend.

http://www.marlwood.com/ws-public/uploads/269_Complete%202016%20-%202018%20Booklet.pdf