You can watch our students' contribution to BBC School Report Day from Gateshead CLC on live web tv here

On Thursday 11th March, 60 of our Year 8 students will be joining up with Gateshead City Learning Centre to make the news. Pupils are taking part in BBC News School Report, a BBC project to engage 11-14-year-olds in the news.

Over the past few months the students in Year 8 have been working hard, training to be top journalists and on Thursday, they will be broadcasting their news, covering the stories of the day and interviewing special guests. They will broadcast a special report on education in the future live at 1pm. You can log on to Gateshead CLC BBC School Report for information about the live web broadcast and view their work as it is published.

The BBC will be tracking their progress in order to prepare a report for the national news bulletin at 6pm so make sure you’re watching!

Gateshead PCT have recently provided a Health Planner which may be of use to our students.
Please feel free to download it and print it off for reference.

Health Planner (PDF 26KB)

The Sound of Music

Tuesday 9th February to Saturday 13th February 7.00p.m.

This year’s school musical is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Special previews in assembly this week promise an uplifting and emotional production of this much-loved musical, full of so many unforgettable songs.

Please come along to enjoy what will be a memorable production.

Tickets are priced at £5 for adults and £3.50 for students and concessions

Download Spring 2010 Newsletter (PDF 1.1MB)

The design of our New Sixth Form Block has been finalised. Construction is scheduled to begin in March and we hope the building will be available for students in early Spring 2011. The building provides a state-of-the-art study and social area along with high quality ICT facilities. Seminar rooms have been incorporated for group study, along with a separate canteen for Sixth Form students.

Students have contributed their ideas as part of the design process and we look forward to this prestigious new building to house the largest school Sixth Form in Gateshead.

No sooner will Mr Pickering and colleagues have dimmed the lights on the climactic performance of The Sound Of Music, than they will be heading to Heathrow for what has now become the bi-annual theatre trip to New York.

Students will combine workshops and theatre visits with a range of cultural tours around this dynamic city. We look forward to reports.

Year 9 Options Information Evening 9th March

7.00p.m. – 8.00p.m.

Parents are invited to our Information Evening on the 9th March where we will explain the variety of options available to students in years 10 and 11. The curriculum now provides a range of exciting opportunities, from GCSE study in new and familiar subjects alongside a range of vocational options. We offer the new Diplomas and courses run in conjunction with college and work-based providers.

Wednesday 24th February
S Band

Tuesday 2nd march
T Band

Parents should now have received appointment sheets for the forthcoming Year 7 parents’ evenings. Please come along to discuss your child’s progress in this important first year at Whickham.

Now that the extremes of this severe winter have hopefully passed, we would like all students to come to school in correct school uniform, with a particular reminder that they should be wearing the correct footwear.

Sixth Form Information Evening (for September 2010 entry)
Tuesday 19th January 2010 at 7.00pm

and

Subject Evening
Tuesday 26th January 2010 4.00pm - 6.00pm

Download 2010 Prospectus (PDF 1.9MB)

Download Sixth Form Courses 2010 (PDF 800KB)

We are pleased to announce that school will re-open for all students on Tuesday January 12th at the usual time.

Due to the conditions on site, this evening's (Monday 11th) Parents' Forum Meeting has been cancelled.

School will be open on Monday 11th January for students sitting external examinations and for staff only. Students sitting examinations should endeavour to arrive in school for 9.00a.m.

Please note that car parking spaces are limited and students will not have space to park vehicles on site.

Many thanks to all those colleagues who helped to clear access roads on the site on Friday. Unfortunately, deep snow and ice remain and further intensive efforts will be needed to continue to make the site safe and accessible. Please follow the website and local radio (Radio Newcastle, Metro Radio, Century) for updates.

May we wish all pupils, parents and staff a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It has been an active and productive term for all members of the school and we hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful festive break.

Tuesday 15th December

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Community Carol Service. The service was watched by a combined audience of over 2000 people over three performances over the course of the day.

As usual, we had some inspirational musical performances on a celebratory occasion that brought the whole school community together. Students, teachers, parents and governors all participated in this rewarding event.

School will close for the festive break on Friday 18th December and we will return on Monday 4th January.

Could parents please return reply slips confirming that their child has permission to leave at 1.45 on that day. School buses will not be available on that day.

Mr Johnson and colleagues took our year 8 pupils to watch a memorable encounter between Barbarians v New Zealand. The match was closely fought and saw the first Barbarian victory over the All Blacks since 1973.

On Saturday 28th November, 15 of our students went to Newcastle Crown Court to participate in the Bar National Mock Trial Competition.

After receiving training in school with barristers they took the parts of advocates, prosecutors and other court roles. A number of our students received commendations for their performances in a successful event that should inspire many with their university applications.

18th November – 24th November
A team of year 10 students developed their sports leadership skills with a trip to Egypt. They worked with fellow Egyptian students to arrange a sports festival for a large group of primary school children.

Our students showed tremendous initiative, effort and teamwork to lead a highly successful event.

Congratulations to our highly successful girls’ athletics teams, who won the Gateshead Indoor Sports Hall Athletics competitions at year 7 and 8 level, and at year 9 and 10 level.

Further success was achieved by our year 7 girls in the Gateshead District cross-country competition.

Wednesday 7th October 6.45pm - 8.30pm

Parents and children are welcome to join us to gain insights into life at Whickham School. You will have opportunities to listen to our Headteachers who will outline the care and support your child can expect here at Whickham, alongside the high expectations that will contribute towards successful achievement.

You will also be able to listen to our splendid school band before pupils take you on a tour of the school where you will be able to talk to a range of teachers about the subjects and the wider opportunities available to students.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Charity Week 2009 19th- 23rd October:
Sophie Atay Appeal

Charity week is nearly here again and this year we are supporting the “Sophie Atay Appeal”. Sophie was born a fit and healthy baby girl on the 15th November 2007 at the QE Hospital, Gateshead. In early February 2009, at the age of just 15 months old, her mother found an unusual lump on her stomach and after numerous hospital visits, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma stage 4 (high risk).

Neuroblastoma is a malignant cancer which is very rare and has frightening survival rates of as low as 20%. Sophie’s cancer has spread to her bone marrow. Relapse is very common and if relapse does occur, there is currently no cure in the UK. However, there is treatment available for Sophie that could give Sophie an astonishing 80-90% chance of survival. Unfortunately, this treatment is only available in New York and costs in excess of $500,000.

Time is running out for Sophie. Money needs to be raised and it needs to be raised fast. If there is anything which you can do to help raise money or awareness

Please find attached a programme of events for charity week that outlines key activities taking place during the day and in the evening.

Download Programme :PDF - 14kb

October 12th - 6.00p.m.

We are extremely honoured to welcome Zigi Shipper to Whickham School to talk about his experiences in the Lodz ghetto and at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ms Ellis has organised the evening in collaboration with the Holocaust Educational Trust. Tickets for the evening are free but have completely sold out; such is the interest of our students to hear Zigi Shipper’s testimony of his traumatic and moving experiences, but also of the hope that can be found in his future.

A group of year 10 and 11 students will be going to Poland from Thursday 22nd October to Sunday 25th October. The group will be staying in the Jewish Quarter in the city of Krakow. During their time in Krakow students will visit the wartime ghetto of Podgorze, Schindler’s Factory, working Jewish Synagogues, a Jewish Cemetery and building of the old Jewish community. They will also go to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former concentration camp.

They will end their visit by going Wieliczka Salt Mines, the oldest operational salt mine in Europe, which has been working for over 700 years.

Whilst the group are away they will be keeping written and video diaries. These will be used to feedback their experiences to other students next term.

In Preparation for their visit a Holocaust Survivor will be giving his testimony on Monday 12th October at 6pm. This has been organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust.

On Friday 16th October we will be hosting a Rich Experience where students will undertake a diverse and stimulating range of activities. We hope to develop their personal, learning and thinking skills whilst embracing a range of cross-curricular themes. Highlights include visits of the exotic insects from Zoolab, the creation of giant insects in Art, enterprise activities and the visit of David Hodgson, a motivational speaker who will raise the confidence and aspirations of our year 11 students. We look forward to bringing you more information after the event.

Wednesday 14th – Friday 16th October.

This year’s first school production will be a dramatic staging of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Tickets are available now so please come along and support this dramatic interpretation of Orwell’s political allegory.

This year is particularly significant for our year 11 students, who will be sitting GCSEs in English and Maths as early as November. We look forward to discussing progress and targets with parents at our parents’ Evening on the 1st October.

Congratulations to our under 12 cricket team who have been crowned County Champions after an excellent 7 wicket win against Emmanuel School in the final on Wednesday.

Our students braved new frontiers this summer when Mr Golightly led a number of our students on the World Challenge expedition to Bolivia. This demanding trip was the result of months of fund raising and planning. The students took part in some extremely challenging trekking in demanding environments, climbing to heights of 17,000 feet. As part of the challenge, students participated in some important community building work.

Our annual prize – giving evening was once again a major suceess. The evening opened with a superb performance by the school band, who responded superbly to the orchestartion of our new Director of Music, Mr Griffiths. After only two rehearsals together, they were able to stage a rousing performance.

Students past and present returned to receive an array of awards that was testament top the vast range of academic, vocational and extra curricular achievement that students achieve at Whickham School.

Our Guest of |Honour was Michael Heppell, a motivational speaker who animated our prize-winners and the audience with a dynamic speech and perforamnce that dared us all to be brilliant. His optimistic outlook, energy and drive were a fitting compliment to a night celebrating success.

Congratulations to all of our students for the fantastic examination results that they received this summer.

At GCSE, a record 90% of our students achieved 5 A* - C grades. This represented high levels of achievement across a range of GCSE and vocational subjects. We saw 5% increases on our overall figures and a 5% increase in the numbers achieving 5 A* - C including English and Maths.

At A – level, 44% of our students achieved grades A or B, whilst 74% achieved A, B or C grades. Our pass rate was 99.8% many of our students have now progressed to the next stage of their education at university and we wish them well for the future.

We hope all of our students are refreshed after a long holiday. The term has started crisply and our new year 7 students have already settled well to the new term.

Summer brought some record-breaking results for the school, achieved through much hard work from students and staff and with the support of parents.

We anticipate further success in the year ahead as we strive for all students to fulfil their potential and participate fully in their learning and in the wide range of opportunities provided at Whickham. In their opening assemblies, Mr Bleasdale and Mrs Muse stressed the importance of adopting a committed and consistent approach, with high standards of punctuality and attendance that have such a strong impact on success.

School commences on Tuesday 8th September for years 7, 12 and 13 only.

Year 7 will attend all day. Year 12 will attend for the morning only and Year 13 for the afternoon only.

Year 7 should be on site for an 8.50a.m. start and assemble in the Main Hall for 8.55a.m. in the appointed places for their tutor groups.

Year 12 should meet in the 6th Form Common Room for 8.55a.m. to be allocated to their new Tutor Groups by Mr Turnbull.

Year 13 should assemble in the Sixth Form Common Room at 1.05p.m. to register with their tutors.

On Wednesday 9th September, school is open for all students. All students in years 7-11 should go to their tutor groups. Sixth form students should assemble in the main hall.

The summer holidays are an enjoyable time for all our students and we wish all students and staff a wonderful summer break. The increased freedoms can also bring potential dangers and we wish all our students a happy and safe summer break so that they can return refreshed ready for the year ahead.

We have included a copy of a summer safety briefing we received from Northumbria Police that provides some useful advice on how our students can stay safe over the summer holidays.

Download Police Briefing (PPT 545KB)

Rhys Clark in Year 10 was one of only 6 Gateshead secondary school students to win a place at the prestigious NASA International Space School this autumn. Rhys submitted a short video outlining what he would gain from the project but also what he would contribute as an ambassador for Gateshead in encouraging participation in Maths and Sciences.

Rhys will fly to Orlando in October, where NASA staff will meet him. As well as behind the scenes access to the space centre, he will undergo training with NASA staff and experience flight simulations. In his second week, Rhys will fly to Houston, Texas where he will again further insights into the space programme and receive further training from NASA staff. A host of other visits to museums, seminars environmental concerns and Sea World will also take place.

This is a unique opportunity and Rhys will provide a video diary outlining his experiences.

On Wednesday 8th July he was presented with his prize by astronauts from Space Shuttle mission STS 119 in the company of the Lord Mayor of Gateshead. We wish him well on this wonderful adventure and look forward to his accounts of his experiences with NASA

This will take place on Friday 28th August, from 10.00a.m. – 12.00p.m.

Members of the 6th Form Team and the Leadership Team will be present to enrol students and offer further advice on 6th form courses.

Our KS4 and KS5 students will be eagerly awaiting their examination results from a range of GCSE, A- level and BTEC courses this summer.

Results will be available from school at the following dates and times:

20th August
From 9.00a.m. A-level, BTEC (Level 3)
From 11.00a.m. AS level,

27th August
From 9.00a.m. GCSE, BTEC (Level 2) and Functional Skills

The Annual School Band Concert was held at St Mary’s Church, Whickham at 7.00 p.m. The concert was particularly memorable as it was the last to be led by Mr Dutton before he moves to his new post in September.

As well as the performance of some superb ensembles and solos, the swing band also played a fitting tribute to Mr Dutton. One of the highlights of the evening was a superbly arranged medley of highlights from the numerous shows and concerts that Mr Dutton has directed at Whickham School. A number of ex-students returned to participate in this special occasion and to pay thanks to the inspiration Mr Dutton has provided for so many students at Whickham.

He will be greatly missed as Head of Music and we wish him every success in his new role.

Dr Seddon outlined a unique opportunity for a student from our current year 9 or year 10 to take part in the prestigious NASA International Space School in October 2009. This will involve a week visit to Florida where students will experience the Kennedy space Centre, the Saturn V launch Simulator and an Astronaut Training Experience. This will be followed by a week at Houston where students will visit the Houston Space Centre and Johnston Space Centre.

The place at ISS is funded by ictGateshead/Gateshead City Learning Centre.

A full outline of the competition is attached to this article. All applicants need to submit their video application by the 2nd July. Good luck.

Competition Information

Thursday 25th June 7.00p.m. St Mary’s Church

The Annual School Band Concert is at St Mary’s Church, Whickham at 7.00p.m. The concert will include ensembles and solos, along with the swing band. This concert will be particularly poignant as it is the last to be led by Mr Dutton before he moves to his new post in September. He has conducted a number of inspirational musical evenings so please come along to what will be a memorable occasion.

Tickets are available from the school finance office at £3.oo for adults and £2.00 for concessions.

On Wednesday 17th June, we were extremely fortunate to host a visit to school by Dr Rhea Seddon. Dr Seddon was the sixth woman in space and had taken part in a number of important missions where she has been involved in some of the most successful Spacelab missions carried out by NASA.

Dr Seddon has a doctorate in medicine. She is married to former astronaut Robert Gibson and has three children.

In addition to talking to students about her experiences as an astronaut, she also outlined exciting opportunities for at least one student from year 10 or 11 to participate in the NASA International Space School in America this autumn.

Students were captivated by this unique woman who presented her extraordinary achievements in a humble and accessible way and provided inspiration for us all.

Good luck to all of our students who are embarking upon the important summer examination period. By continuing to revise and prepare over the coming weeks they can achieve considerable success this summer.

Congratulations to our first year 7 Girls’ Rugby team who represented the North East and Yorkshire in the National Finals at Twickenham on Saturday. The standard of rugby was excellent and the girls finished 4th overall. This was a fantastic achievement in their first year of contact rugby.

A series of revision lessons will take place to help year 11 prepare for their examinations right up to the date of the examinations themselves. These sessions have significantly contributed towards exam success in recent years so it is important that students attend these important support sessions. A copy of the revision timetable is attached.

Thankfully, as a school we have not been affected by Influenza A (H1N1) that has recently received a lot of media attention. We are mindful of the issues and if any parents would like further information they could ring the helpline on 0800 1513513.

Alternatively, there is a link available on the Local Authority website at the following, rather long address:

www.gateshead.gov.uk/Council%20and%20Democracy/emergency/MajorHealth.aspx

A number of our enthusiastic readers in year 7 attended the North East Book Awards at the Centre for Life on Thursday 30th April.

The pupils read and reviewed the short-listed books, before voting for their favourites. At the ceremony, they were able to meet the winning authors. The group will continue to meet to read, discuss and explore books in the future

Nexus have produced a questionnaire, developed in partnership with School Travel Advisors, to help establish a profile of travel patterns and decisions made by 11 to 16 year olds that will help them in developing appropriate travel services. Students can take part in this questionnaire at the following link and there are ten prizes of an ipod touch to be won.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228SFBFV7Q7

The closing date is Friday 22 May. Personal details will only be used for the prize draw and will then be deleted.

Year 11 and Years 12 and 13 are now in the final stages of their preparation for this summer’s exams. Easter represents their last break before the examinations begin in earnest. We hope they can use the time to revise thoroughly and carry out the past paper practice that will lead to success this summer.

Many subjects will be providing revision sessions and coursework support over the Easter holidays. Your son or daughter will have been informed where these sessions relate to them.

We hope those students facing public examinations have both a restful and purposeful Easter break, as preparations now can help them cope with the challenges that lie await in the weeks ahead.

Whickham School and Sports College have organised an Easter Sports Camp that will run for both weeks of the Easter holidays, excluding Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Week one will run from Monday 6th April to Thursday 9th April and Week 2 will run from Tuesday 14th April to Friday 17th April. The camp costs just £30 for four days activity, will run from 10am to 3pm and is available to pupils across Gateshead. A wide range of activities and sports are available and your child will benefit from excellent facilities, equipment and coaching. Activities include trampolining, climbing, football, tennis, badminton, table tennis, basketball, crash mat rounders and many others. Pupils will be required to bring a packed lunch.

Numbers are limited so to guarantee your child a place on the Easter Sports Camp please return the reply slip and cheque (made payable to ‘Whickham School’) as soon as possible and your place will then be confirmed by telephone or e-mail.

In their first season of contact rugby, the year 7 girls team set out for Durham on March 3 to compete in the regional final of the Emerging Schools' HSBC Rugby Festival knowing full well the rewards that victory would bring! They played three pool matches that were all fiercely contested.

Led ably by captain Megan Shaw, the girls won all three games that ensured qualification for the final against a strong and competitive St Johns School. This game was physical and closely fought. The deadlock was broken in the second half with a try from the Whickham captain. St Johns did not give up and came close to equalising on several occasions; however the result was sealed with a last ditch try from Whickham’s Ellie Gasgoine. To say that the team were ecstatic would be an understatement!

After much celebration, Whickham were presented with their trophy and the ultimate prize of representing the North East in the National Finals at Staines / Twickenham in May.

Congratulations to the school band who performed to their usual high standard at a rousing concert at St Mary’s Centre for the ‘Whickham Wives’ on the 18th March. The evening was further enhanced by the many pupils who performed solos and ensembles during the evening. One member of the audience described the concert as “ the highlight of the year for them.”

The band continues to take the creativity and performance skills of Whickham students and staff out to our wider community and we are grateful for their continued efforts.

11th March
6.00p.m. – 8.00p.m.

The partnership between home and school is crucial in helping our students to achieve success, particularly during this key examination period. To further this, we would like to invite you to an evening on the 11th March where we can share advice and guidance that will help you to support your child as they prepare for their public examinations.

The evening will start with in the Main Hall where the Headteachers, Mr Bleasdale and Mrs Muse, will outline approaches that will lead to examination success. Mrs Patterson, Assistant Headteacher and Examinations Officer, will then provide some important guidance on the examinations process.

You will then have the opportunity to visit up to three less formal workshops that provide a mixture of generic guidance on revision and study skills, along with more subject-specific support. Refreshments will be available so that you can share some of your questions and concerns with fellow parents and members of the Leadership Team.

Tuesday 10th March

Year 9 will soon begin the important process of selecting their course options for years 10 and 11. At Whickham we have a curriculum that was judged outstanding in our last OfSTED report.

A wide variety of academic and vocational courses are offered at Key Stage 4 and at our Information Evening parents will receive information and guidance on the pathways that would best support their child.

Students will receive their own presentation on their Key stage 4 course options earlier at school on the same day.

Parents will have an opportunity to discuss their child’s individual performance at the Parents’ Evening on Thursday 19th March.

School has reopened today as normal after yesterday's adverse weather.

Due to the poor weather conditions we have taken the decision to close the school this afternoon-Monday 2nd February.

It is always a difficult decision to take, but our priority must be the safety of students and staff and we have been advised that weather conditions in many areas are deteriorating.

We will of course aim to re-open tomorrow morning as normal but we will inform local radio stations early in the morning to communicate whether or not the school is open. Please listen to either Radio Newcastle, Metro Radio or Century Radio. We will update the website as soon as possible.

Our year 9 book reviewers once again attended the prestigious North East Book Awards at the Centre for Life on Friday 30th January.

After reading the short listed books, they voted for their favourites and submitted reviews. On Friday, they were able to meet the shortlisted writers and see which novel had been voted best by the student audience.

Year 10 students have been developing valuable insights into the creative and interpersonal skills essential to success in a business environment.

They have travelled to Sunderland over a number of weeks to work collaboratively on a series of tasks. Some of our most successful students were invited to pitch their ideas in Dragon’s Den style to local industrialists on Friday.

Last week, 6 year 7 students received book vouchers for their progress in the Accelerated Reading scheme in year 7. Pupils read books that stretch their reading levels and interests and afterwards sit a short test assessing their general understanding.

All of year 7 students are now participating in the scheme and we hope all pupils read at least 3 books between now and Easter. In the final week before Easter, we will be awarding prizes for those pupils who have both read the most books and made the most progress.

A number of our students travelled to Cheshire to participate in the northern zone Trampolining finals.

The girls’ team performed superbly and have qualified for the prestigious national finals that take place in Birmingham in March. We will keep you informed of their further success.

We would like to wish all pupils, parents and staff a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The annual Community Carol Service will take place on Tuesday 16th December at 7.15 p.m. in the Sports Hall. Guests are warmly invited to a reception in the staff room from 6.30 onwards, before proceeding to the Sports Hall for the service itself.

Tickets are available from the school Finance Office

January sees our next major wave of examinations. Year 13 students will be facing new A2 modules and re-sitting some of their AS modules. Some of our year 10 students will be sitting pilot Functional Skills exams in Maths, English and ICT.

In addition all of year 9 will sit the pilot ICT Functional Skills examination in addition to their examinations in their Foundation subjects.

Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd November.

Performance starts at 7.00 p.m.

This year’s school musical sees a return to a Broadway classic as students perform Sweet Charity. The play follows Charity’s quest for love in the world of New York in
the 1960s.

The show contains a number of famous songs, including ‘Big Spender’, ‘The Rhythm of Life’ and ‘If they could see me now.’

Please come along and support this highly successful school production.

Whickham School Charity Week is an event that is held every year, and is run by the 6th Form students themselves. We have a strong tradition of raising funds for a range of important causes. This year, we are raising money for a charity called Action Duchenne. Action Duchenne is a charity that helps people affected by Muscular Dystrophy, as well as funding research into a cure. Muscular Dystrophy is a condition that affects the muscles. Children affected by the condition often require a wheel chair by the age of 10.

For more information please visit the Muscular Dystrophy website:
http://www.actionduchenne.org/

Assemblies are being held throughout the week beginning 13th October to inform students about the charity and to show them how they can support us by attending events and participating in a range of activities.

A full programme of events will be published to show parents and students how they can support our fund-raising activities.

1st October 2008
6.45- 8.45

Parents are warmly invited to attend our Prospective Parents Evening. Guests will gather in the Main Hall where they can listen to musical performances and see visual presentations of the school in action.

At 7.15 the Headteachers, Mr Bleasdale and Mrs Muse will provide a thorough insight into life at the school, covering our academic achievements, our wide range of extra – curricular activities and the caring atmosphere that supports learning.

Mr Grimes and representatives of the Local Authority will be on hand to provide guidance on the admissions process. Mrs Howe, Assistant Headteacher for Additional Educational Needs, will also be available to discuss the support needs for your child.

After the formal presentations, Parents will be taken on a guided tour of the school, led by our new year 7 pupils.

A range of lessons, activities and displays will be available and staff will be present to offer information on their subjects. Refreshments will be available in the staffroom.

Please come along to what promises to be an enjoyable and informative evening.

The deadline for the three Parent Governor vacancies is the 6th October not the 19th November. A copy of the letter informing parents of this change is attached to this article.

Download Letter to Parents

We would like to welcome all students back for the start of what promises to be another successful and active academic year at Whickham School.

The school site has undergone significant improvements over the summer break and students will benefit from a new library, a new Sixth Form Centre with a much improved Common Room, along with ICT and quiet study facilities. The Science department has a refurbished suite of science laboratories whilst the Maths department has moved to a new suite of rooms. The drama department has moved into an enhanced Drama Studio. Our overall rooming capacity is now better than ever and should help to provide the foundation for a successful year.

In addition, over 250 new computers have been installed and by October, every classroom will benefit from either an interactive whiteboard or projector. A number of smaller ICT suites have been created to heighten access to ICT across the school.

Congratulations to all of our students on their continued success in their external examinations.

At key stage 3 highlights included the strong level 5+ performances in Maths and Science and we were particularly pleased with the improved level 6+ figures of 65% in Maths and 58% in Science. As you may know, concern has been raised nationally about the reliability of the English marking and we are currently sending scripts to be remarked

At KS4 84.5% of our students gained 5 grades at A* - C reflecting sustained levels of achievement across the school. These are once agin well above the national average.

At KS5, students achieved a 99% pass rate with 40% achieving grades A or B.

These results reflect the combined efforts of students and staff, alongside the support of parents, and we look forward to further success in 2009

The introduction of extensive new buildings means that car parking on our school site is now extremely limited. Many of the overflow spaces used by parents for evening events have been taken by our new Maths buildings.

Parents may wish to consider arrangements for safe pick-ups and drop-offs for evening events or make arrangements for car sharing.

The term is barely a week old and already students from years 9 to 13 are travelling to Glasgow this weekend to take part in the national quarterfinals of The Speaker public speaking competition organised by the BBC. Whickham students won an incredible 10 of the 40 available quarterfinal places from the entire northern region and their performances will be filmed in preparation for the BBC 2 series.

We wish our students good luck as they endeavour to progress to the semi – finals of this prestigious national competition.

We hope all students, staff and parents have an enjoyable summer and come back safe, well-rested and energised ready for another successful year in 2008-2009.

As you know, we will sadly say farewell to a number of colleagues this summer. Our Headteacher, Mr Morrison is leaving after nine highly successful years. He has led the school over a period where our examination results have reached record levels across all key stages and when our leading status as a Sports College has become regarded as a model of good practice. Two highly successful Ofsted reports have given formal recognition to these achievements reinforced by achievements with Artsmark Gold and Sports Mark Gold, and the numerous Specialist College Trust Awards.

We thank him for his committed leadership over this successful period and wish him every success for the future.

Mr Ord retires from his position as Head of Chemistry. He is one of the longest serving teachers in the Authority and Gateshead will commemorate this with a plaque to honour his committed service to the school and the Local Authority.

Mrs Bernard retires from her post as Head of Modern Foreign Languages. As a curriculum leader and a Sixth Form Tutor she has been an inspiration to staff and students alike. She will return in September to continue Sixth form teaching.

Mrs Stone will be taking on fresh responsibility as Head of History at Whitley Bay High School.. Ms Duban will be taking on fresh opportunities in Dublin whilst Mr Llewellyn Jones takes on a new post in London. The PE departure sees the departure of Mr Stevenson whilst our sport Technician Mr Helson also moves on.

We would like to thank all of our colleagues for their committed support to Whickham School and wish them every success in the future.

Students can receive their results from 10.00 a.m on Thursday 21st August.

Tuesday 2nd September
Year 7, 12 (morning) and 13 (afternoon)

Wednesday 3rd September
School open for all years.

Year 7 will assemble in the main hall to start the new academic year at 8.50 on 2nd September.

Year 12 will assemble at 8.50 a.m. in room 21 to be allocated to their new Tutor Groups. They will attend for the morning session only.

Year 13 will assemble at 1.05 in room 21. Copies of the start of term arrangements for September 2008 can be downloaded below. They will attend for the afternoon session only.

School will be open for all years from Wednesday 3rd September.

This will take place from 10.00 a.m on Friday 22nd August.
Staff will be available to support students as they finalise their option choices.

Students can receive their results at school from 10.00 a.m on Thursday 14th August.
Members of the Sixth Form team will be available to provide support and guidance.

As many of you will be aware, members of UNISON will be taking industrial action on Wednesday 16th July and Thursday 17th July. This will involve a significant number of support staff at Whickham School including caretakers, cleaners, administrative staff and learning support assistants.

In the interests of maintaining health and safety and the security of the site, the school will only be open for the morning sessions on July 16th and 17th.

School will be open as normal in the morning but closed at 12.25pm.

Students wishing to remain for school lunch can do so but all students and staff will need to be off-site by 1.30pm so that the site can be secured.

New Temporary Accomodation
Temporary classrooms have arrived in school to replace the accommodation lost during the Easter fire. They are due to be handed over on Monday 14th July 2008. It had been our intention to use Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th July to facilitate a great deal of the packing away and movement of materials and equipment into the new buildings as well as all the other reorganisation that our revised accommodation plan involves.

We had intended to bring in additional caretaking support to facilitate this but the Unison strike means that this cannot now take place. As a result, this packing and movement will need to take place on Friday 18th July 2008 if the school is to be ready for a crisp start in September after the holiday period.

Therefore the school will be closed to students on Friday July 18th 2008.

Staff will be in school as normal.

Download Letter to Parents (PDF: 500KB)

The annual Whickham School Art exhibition takes place on Wednesday 2nd July from 7-9.00p.m. in the Main Hall and The Art Department.

The exhibition showcases some of the superb art, ceramics and textiles work produced by our students over the past year. We hope to include an on-line record of highlights from the exhibition soon.

Whickham School and The Rotary Club of Whickham Clavering will be awarding a new Community Award to be presented at September’s Prize giving.

Nominations are invited from staff, students or members of the community for individuals or groups of students who have made contributions to the local, national or international community through particular projects or exceptional actions.

The winner(s) will receive a salver and vouches to the value of £100.

Nominations should be sent to Mr Crane at Whickham School by 7th July including the name and year group of the individual or group and reason for nomination.

Include your own name and contact information on the nomination.

Whickham School was delighted to host double Olympic gold medal winner, Dame Kelly Holmes, as she arrived on the school field by helicopter to celebrate national schools sports week.

She arrived at 9.30a.m. and was greeted by Mr Morrison, Mr Hopper and many of our student Spots Leaders, including our Gateshead Sports Ambasadors

Whickham School was hosting the mini-games, which involved year 6 children from our cluster primary schools. The games were led by our own year 12 Sports Leaders, whilst other events such as softball and rounders were led by year 10 and lower school sport leaders.

Dame Kelly spent time with every group, extending her stay by over half an hour, to ensure that she visited all competitors and sports leaders. She was remarkably approachable, participating in activities and talking to our students.

This was a remarkable celebration of sport for Whickham School and our cluster primary schools, leaving students with unforgettable memories of the day they met and participated with one of our greatest Olympians.

Year 12 students are now beginning the important process of choosing the universities they would like to study at to pursue their Higher Education interests.

Time will be provided at school and Gateshead CLC to provide the information and guidance that will support this vital process. Copies of the key information and guidance on personal statements can be downloaded.

Download Personal Statement Advice (Word: 24KB)

Download Student UCAS Guide 2008-2009 (Word: 124KB)

Download UCAS 2009 Key Dates (Word:27KB)

Thursday 29th June

The annual Whickham School band Concert took place last Thursday at St Mary’s Church in Whickham. An uplifting programme of music was performed to an appreciative audience.

The Gateshead String Quartet supported the band and farewells were said to those year 13 students leaving the band to pursue higher education.

The band also paid thanks to Peter Bell, our peripatetic brass specialist who was retiring after 15 years of excellent service.

We would like to pay special thanks to St Mary’s Church for their support.

30th June – 4th July

All year groups are participating in an exciting and varied range of sports to celebrate National Schools Sports Week. Activities include karate, rowing, golf, mass aerobics and a Tour de Whickham Cycle ride.

The full programme is listed below and culminates in sports Day at Gateshead stadium on the 4th July. We hope all students can get involved at some point.

The Rich Experience days for year 8 proved a big success. The entire year group had two days working in groups developing creative thinking and team skills. All students participated in off-site trips, either to The Centre for Life or Gateshead CLC to make documentaries.

Three groups produced some wonderful banners celebrating the Olympics whilst others produced an international buffet that was enjoyed by students and staff. Many thanks to the students and staff for all their efforts in making the event such a success.

Find attached a copy of the Headteacher’s latest newsletter, along with important information on changes for the year ahead.

Download Newsletter (PDF: 179KB)

Download Letter to Parents (Word: 30KB)

Year 8
25th and 26th June

Later this month, we will hold our first Rich experience days for year 8. The entire year group will participate in a range of cross- curricular activities on an Olympic theme. Activities will include ‘Beat the Cheats’ sports drug testing, documentary making, cultural festivals, banner design a food festival amongst many others,

Students will get the opportunity to participate in activities both on and off-site and we look forward to sharing some of the highlights on the website later on.

To help us to measure the efectiveness of school sport we would like all students to complete a survey.We would like you to answer the questions as honestly as possible to give us an accurate response.You should only include sports you have participated in this academic year.

To complete the survey, go to www.pess-tracker.co.uk

Click on member login.
The URN is 108404.
Username is the same as your school username.
Passwords have already been issued.
If you need any help, please see MrCaughey in the PE Department.

Year 6 pupils will soon begin the transition process that will help to welcome them to Whickham School in September. Pupils will have their own Taster Day on the 30th June where they will sample a range of lessons whilst parents are invited to their own welcome meeting on 3rd July.

We look forward to meeting our new year 7 pupils and parents in the coming weeks.
Download Transition Activities Information

Year 13 students spent a weekend in London watching Shakespeare as originally intended in the authentic setting of the rebuilt Globe Theatre. After a fascinating tour of the venue, students stood in the open to watch a dynamic performance of King Lear.

Their experience was heightened as prior to the performance they had ‘adopted’ an actor who had corresponded with the group on the rehearsal process from page to stage.

The school’s examination success in recent years has been helped by the intensive revision sessions that have carried on in many cases right up to the day of the examinations themselves. This year a similar programme has been planned to help year 11 maximise their revision and receive support and advice so that their knowledge and skills are as fresh as possible as they enter the exams.

A copy of this year’s revision timetable is attached that covers the period for the vast majority of students, with the exceptions of those not sitting or re-sitting particular modules or with examination clashes.

Year 11 Revision Timetable

Mr Walton, Mrs Murray and the rest of the Year 11 tutorial team gave a fond farewell to Year 11 on Thursday 15th May, ahead of their intensive period of special revision sessions and public examinations.

In a warm, good humoured and emotional occasion, tutors delivered a series of reflective speeches before a series of special awards were presented for a wide variety of contributions to the year group.

We wish year 11 the best of luck in their examinations and look forward to seeing them at the Leaver’s Ball in July.

On Tuesday the 6th May the school will host a visit from Chris Ryan, who will be talking about his life and experiences as an SAS soldier and a writer. He will also be discussing his new novel, Vortex.

Chris was born and grew up in Newcastle and random house are delighte dto launch his new book on home territory.

More about Chris Ryan (Word: 250KB)

Good luck to Year 9 as they prepare for the SATs in the week beginning the 6th May. These National Curriculum Tests mark the culmination of their Key stage 3 work and with a positive approach and full attendance they can build upon the significant successes of recent years.

Year 7 and 8 students experienced their annual visit of a host of hissing cockroaches, giant snails and millipedes, corn snakes, rare frogs, tarantulas and other creatures as part of the zoolab visit. They learnt about the biology of the animals and their habitats and the threats they face in the wild.

As you may know, a number of schools will experience partial or complete closure on Thursday 24th April as a result of industrial action. Whickham School will be open for all pupils on Thursday.

A small minority of classes may have slight timetable changes and the students affected will be notified directly by letter. For all other students, school will be open as usual as we prepare for the busy assessment period ahead.

The school is now fully open for all students. The fire damage has not halted events and a full range of activities have taken place, from a highly successful school production to Visiting study skills seminars for all year 11 and visiting theatre companies to all of year 9. Students in years 9,11, 12 and 13 have got down to their preparations for the important examinations that will take place in the summer term.

The fire-damaged block will be demolished over the spring break. Representatives have been on site arranging the delivery of approximately 12 temporary classrooms that will be installed over the summer term.

Please note this demolition work will not prevent any of the proposed activities taking place at school over the spring break. Please follow any movement guidance or restrictions to ensure safety on site. The Spring Sports Camp will take place in the first week. Many subjects have organised revision or coursework activities and these will go ahead.

In the long term, the damaged block will be rebuilt and we are continuing to explore the best architectural options for the future development of Whickham School.

May we thank all parents, students and colleagues for their continued support. We hope all members of the school community have an enjoyable spring break and that students return refreshed ready for the important examinations that lie ahead.

The school will be open for all students from Monday 31st March, with years 7 and 8 returning. Heating has returned to our buildings and rooming reorganisations have taken place to accommodate all our students.

Representatives from the Local Authority have been on-site for much of the week. It is likely that the severely damaged block will be demolished over the Spring Break. A number of temporary classrooms will then arrive in to alleviate some of the present pressures on space.

In the long term, the damaged block will be rebuilt and we are currently exploring the best architectural options for the future development of Whickham School.

We have had numerous offers of sympathy and support from the Local Authority and neighbouring schools and organisations that have been welcomed in this difficult week.

May we thank all parents for their patience and support. With the full school returning on Monday, we look forward to a productive final week of term that will continue to prepare students for the important examinations that will occur in the summer.

Monday 7th - Friday 11th April

After the success of last year’s sports camps, another varied week of sports activities is planned for the first week of the Spring break. Please contact Mr Stevenson in the PE department at school for further information

Wednesday 2nd April

The year 8 Parents’ Evening will go ahead on the above date. Please come along and discuss your son or daughter’s progress with subject teachers. Tutors and Heads of Year. Appointments can be made when your child returns to school on Monday 31st.

Wednesday 25th Friday 27th March 7.00 p.m.

The show will go on!

Mr Pickering has collaborated with students on an original adaptation of The Beggar’s Opera. The story concerns the lives and loves of a group of criminals in London during the 1700s when crime was rife, morality lax, punishment hard, and the law as pliable as your purse. Our hero (or villain?) is a highwayman with a weakness for the ladies, and our villains (or heroes?) officers of the law with a love of money. The problems: those of marriage, property, wealth, fidelity and how to make the best of the situation.

Please come along and support what promises to be an original and distinctive production.

Tickets cost £4 for adults and £3 for children and senior citizens.

A copy of Mr Pickering’s letter is attached

As you may well know, one of the school buildings here at Whickham was set on fire on Friday evening. The police and fire authority suspect this was done deliberately.

The block affected houses our music rooms and important communal areas including the Staff Room, Library, Lecture Theatre and Sixth Form Common Room. In addition, there has been an impact on the school’s gas supply and heating system that despite all our efforts has left parts of the school well below acceptable levels for students and staff.

It is with great regret that school will only remain open for years 9 –13 for the rest of the week. Years 7 and 8 should not attend for that period but return to school on Monday 31st March.

We are confident that the school will be back to something approaching normal by Monday 31st March. We realise this will cause inconvenience to you all and hope you can understand that the school was left with no real alternative.

Please consult the website for further information.

A full copy of the Headteacher’s letter to parents is attached.

Police Notice

Thursday 13th March
Years 10 and 11

To recognise the achievements of the many students who have represented Whickham School and Sports College in a wide variety of sports, a special presentation evening will be held at Blaydon Rugby Club at 7.00p.m. on the 13th March.

Newcastle Falcons rugby star Ollie Phillips will be presenting the awards and a buffet and disco will be provided for all those who attend.

Tickets are priced at £4 for adults and £3.50 for students and are available at break times from the PE office. Please come along to a celebration of sporting success and achievement.

The Parents’ Forum is open to ALL parents of Whickham School students. It provides an opportunity to explore a range of issues relating to many aspects of school life. Parents raise the topics they wish to discuss and these issues form the focus for the meetings. We often invite experts to provide wider awareness that enables parents to explore issues in a thorough way. We have recently explored how issues such as whole school ICT and the website, sex education, drugs and alcohol education and social inclusion are approached in school.

The Parents’ Forum meets on the second Monday of each half term between 5.30 and 6.30p.m. Any parents who would like to attend should telephone Alison Patterson on 0191 4960026-ext-221 and leave their name and the name of their son or daughter. They will then receive a copy of the next agenda and a warm welcome at the meeting.

The next meeting is on Monday 10th March.

Year 9 Information Evening
Thursday 6th March 7-8.00p.m.

Year 9 students are about to start the important process of choosing the options for the range of courses they will be following in year 10. Parents are invited to attend their own evening detailing the options process and the opportunities available to students at key stage 4. Year 9 student s will receive their own presentation earlier that school day.

The school library became the focus for more creativity once again with an African drumming workshop led by Arts Isiziba. Three groups of year 8 students experienced a performance by the workshop leader, Fanuel, from Zimbabwe.

He provided fascinating stories that described how each rhythm had developed. Each student was then given his or her own drum and the opportunity to play and perform their own rhythms.
Students thoroughly enjoyed the illuminating and expressive experience that added to the multi-cultural arts activities provided by Mrs Dollan and Mrs Howells.

A small video of Fanuel’s performance can be found below.

Year 9 Parents’ Evening Wednesday 12th March 4-6.30p.m.

This will take place on Wednesday 12th March between 4.00p.m. and 6.30. As well as providing important information on student progress, there will be options to discuss possible with subject staff and staff representing options new to years 10 and 11.

The final date for the return of options forms is Monday 17th March

On Friday 25th January, Year 10 English Students attended the prestigious North East Book awards at The Sage. The students had established their own Book Club and had read all 6 of the titles nominated for the prize. Many of the authors were in attendance and the students themselves voted for the best book of the year.

Craig Hinds and Daniel Hinds of year 10 won prizes as best reviewers for their reviews of Frozen Fire and The Innocents.

Whickham School is developing links as part of the Extended School’s Programme
By 2010, all schools will offer access to the core offer of extended schools as part of the Every Child Matters agenda. Within Gateshead, extended services are being developed in "clusters" made up of a group of primary schools and one secondary school, with the clusters named after the secondary school in that cluster

Please read the attached letter and web link for more information on developments in this important area.

Download Document (Word: 690KB)

Visit Gateshead Extended Schools website

Congratulations to 17 students in year 10 who were presented with their food hygiene certificates in assembly before half term. This is an industry standard qualification that must be held by anyone working in a professional kitchen, covering everything from food storage to the prevention of food poisoning.

The students completed the course as an important prelude to their GCSE Catering course, ensuring safe practices were adopted from the start. They achieved a 100% pass rate.

Due to the very significant amount of curriculum change that is to be planned for September 2008 (Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16), the Department for Children, Schools and Families has granted all schools in England an additional training day to be taken before the end of the summer term. The most appropriate time for this is felt to be 20 March 2008, the day before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. As a result the school will be closed to students on that day.

Download Explanatory Letter (Word:21KB)

Thank you for your support in ensuring that uniform standards in autumn were consistently high. We would like to maintain these standards this term and we would like to remind you of our rules on coats and shoes that can be found in written and visual formats on the parents’ section of the site.

Congratulations to our Year 12 debating team who won the first round of the prestigious Debating Matters competition run by the Institute of Ideas, beating Church High in the final debate. They now progress to the Northern Regional final at Newcastle University later this term

May we wish happy new year to all students, parents and staff in what promises to be a successful and rewarding year ahead. 2007 ended in a celebratory mood with an uplifting carol service and a highly entertaining student –led production of Cinderella. Both events were extremely well attended and we would like to thank the wider members of the Whickham community for their continued support.

2008 begins with a curriculum focus as students face important internal and external examinations and begin subject option processes in years 9 and 11. A range of support and guidance will be provided as we steer students to further success in 2008.

Good luck to our Year 13 students as they sit a mixture of new A2 modules and re-sit AS modules this month. A copy of the timetable can be downloaded below

January Exams Timetable (Word:157KB)

Parents are cordially invited to the Community Carol Service that will take place on Tuesday 18th December at 7.15 p.m. The service will offer a celebration of Christmas with readings, dramatic performance and a host of carols and musical items performed by the choir and school band.

This is a special occasion in the school year and we hope that you can share in this event.

Just five weeks after the triumphant performance of We Will Rock You, Whickham students will once again foreground their performance skills with a festive production of Cinderella, running from December 12th – 14th at 7.00p.m. in the Main Hall.

This production is particularly special as it has been produced and directed by the students themselves and promises to offer an entertaining combination of comedy, drama, dance and music. The students are performing an additional performance for local primary school children.

Please come along to what promises to be a lively and entertaining evening.

Download Event Poster

In January, year 11 students will begin the important process of exploring their post-16 options. The school will provide two evenings to offer support and guidance on the wider aspects of the Sixth Form, along with more specific guidance on particular subjects and courses.

Monday January 14th
Sixth Form Parent’ Information Evening

Tuesday January 22nd
Sixth Form Subjects Evening

Please come along to explore the opportunities on offer and the wider range of course and options available to Sixth form students.

Whickham students continued their residential experiences with an activities week in the Lake District. 36 pupils accompanied by Mr Hollier, Mr McGonnell and Mr Hollier, took part in activities to develop self-confidence and team building skills through activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, and raft building. A highlight o the course was a mini-expedition with an overnight cap in the mountains. One group managed to navigate their own way to Red tarn, just below Helvellyn. After pitching their tents in very strong winds, the group then scrambled their way across Striding Edge to the summit of Helvellyn…after the wind had subsided.

The students even managed to befriend a lost dog that was grateful reunited with is owner the next day. Well done to all on a challenging and rewarding week. The attached pictures capture some of the activities.

As part of our commitment to safeguarding students on-line, we are becoming aware of the problems caused by cyber-bullying. We would like to share the following tips from the anti-cyberbullying code to offer advice on what to do in the event of threatening or abusive text messages or seeing nasty comments about students or friends on a website:

1.Always respect others- always shows respect tom people and be careful with what you say on-line or what images you send. Always ask permission before you take a photo of someone.

Never forward on a nasty message or picture about someone else.

2.Think before you send- think carefully as what you say or share can be made public quickly and could stay online forever.

3. Treat your password like you toothbrush –Don’t let anyone use you password. It is good practice to change them on a regular basis. Only give your mobile number or personal website address to trusted friends.

4. Block the Bully – most responsible websites and services allow you to block or report someone who is behaving badly.

5. Don’t retaliate or reply! Replying to the bully, particularly in anger, is just what the bully wants.

6. Save the evidence- learn how to keep evidence of messages, pictures or online conversations as they can be used by your school, service provider, mobile pone company or even the police to investigate the cyberbullying.

7. Make sure you tell – you have a right not to be harassed and bullied online.

There are people that can help:

Tell an adult that you trust who can help you to report it to the right place or call a helpline like childline on 0800 1111 in confidence.

• Tell the provider of the service and check their websites on where to report

• Tell your school- your tutor or Head of Year can help.

• If you see cyberbullying going on support the victim and report the bullying

Main Hall Thursday 8th November 3.30-5.30

Now that your child has completed the first half-term, we would like to offer you the opportunity to come into school to meet the Form Tutor for a brief discussion on how your child has settled in. Students are welcome to join their parents/carers at the meeting and refreshments will be available. We hope this will help to develop links and dialogue between pupils, parents and the school.

Your child should have received a letter with a reply slip. We would be grateful if these could be returned to the Form Tutor, along with the approximate time when you hope to attend. Year 7 team leaders will also be available.

Download Letter to Parents (Word: 100KB)

Mr Pickering and colleagues from the drama department have just returned from a drama trip to London’s Theatre land, involving more that 40 students. Highlights of their trip included the musical version of The Lord of the Rings but they also saw the National Theatre’s highly acclaimed and innovative production of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse.

Whickham students once again rose to the challenge of charity week with energy, enthusiasm and humour. Activities ranging from the variety show to the battle of the bands, and the fashion show to teacher sumo did much to capture the imagination of students and raise a significant amount of money for the Josie Groves Leukaemia appeal. Many thanks to the students and staff who organised such an impressive range of events and those who supported the activities.

One of the highlights of the week was the tug-of-war event that saw the might of Newcastle falcons take on the combined force of Whickham School.

It’s not every day that you get the chance to bid for the signed shirt of an England rugby player who participated in the rugby world cup. As part of the charity appeal, bids are invited for this unique piece of sporting memorabilia, with all proceeds going to the Josie Groves Leukaemia appeal.

Download Poster for information

The show opened on October 30th to an enthusiastic response from a packed audience. This was a high-energy show, charting the rise of the Bohemians as they tried to rescue rock from the restrictive control of the Killer Queen. The show combined some excellent singing and dancing, with witty comic interludes and a high sense of drama and action. Queen songs were integrated into the story with imagination and humour.

Congratulations to all the students and staff for another memorable school production. The show ends its 5-night run on 3rd November so snap up any remaining tickets swiftly.

Download Poster (PDF:250KB)

Students in Year 11 will be sitting GCSE English examinations in November. The two examinations take place on the mornings of Monday 5th and Thursday 8th November. The coursework deadline has now passed and many parents will have met with English teachers at the recent Parents’ Evening, to discuss students’ targets, progress and general attitude in the build up to the exams in November.

English teachers are working hard to ensure that students in Year 11 reach their potential. Another significant factor in their success, of course, is parental involvement. The continued support of parents can help to ensure that students commit to thorough revision in the next few weeks. We can’t stress enough the importance of gaining a good grade in this vital core subject; it is unquestionably a springboard to success in the future. Success in November will have the added benefit of boosting students’ confidence as well as decreasing some of the pressure on the summer exams.

Students’ revision should now be well underway and should continue through the half-term break. After the half-term break, we have a senior AQA examiner coming into school to work with groups of students. With the determination of everyone involved and with parents’ added encouragement, I hope we will see some positive results. In the meantime if you have any questions, please contact me here at school.

Dan Crosland
Head of English

Useful Revision Links for GCSE English:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english/

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/contents.htm#anth

A Level English Language Study Days at Sheffield University

The English Department is committed to enriching the educational experience of students studying English subjects in the sixth form. We are therefore delighted to be able to offer English Language students in Years 12 and 13 places on excellent Study Days at the University of Sheffield on Tuesday 13th November (Year 12) and Wednesday 21st November (Year 13). The days are geared specifically towards students studying A Level English Language and are closely tied to the exam board’s Specification.

The days boast some renowned speakers, all language experts in their own fields. We are certain that students will gain some extremely invaluable insights. (To view the specific itinerary and topics for each day, please click on the links below). We have managed to secure funding to cover the cost of transport to Sheffield which means that the only cost is the fee for the day itself which is £13.00. In order to allow time to travel down to Sheffield, the coach will depart from school at 7am prompt and return to school at approximately 7pm.

Students have already received letters and we would be grateful if parents could complete and return the tear-off slip, along with payment, as soon as possible so that numbers can be finalised. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Whickham School Fund’ and returned to the Finance Office at breaks or lunchtimes.

Whickham School English Department @ The University of Sheffield – AS Level Study Day – Tuesday 13th November 2007 (Word: 26KB)

Whickham School English Department @ The University of Sheffield – A2 Level Study Day – Wednesday 21st November 2007 - Itinerary (Word: 28KB)

Dan Crosland
Head of English

October 15th – October 19th

This year, the Y12 Charity Week programme is proud to support the Josie Groves Leukaemia fund. Josie’s courage and conviction was an example to many young people and by contributing to charity week you can play your part in making a significant impact on the lives of teenage cancer patients.

There are many ways for students to get involved, including teacher sumo, a fashion show, variety show and the ever-famous House Party!

A magazine has also been produced and by purchasing a copy, or supporting any of the other activities, you can play your part in contributing to an enjoyable and valuable week of activities.

A full programme of activities can be downloaded below.

Download Programme (Word: 34KB)

This notice gives additional information to the notice sent to you on 3rd October 2007 and provides further information about the processing of pupils’ personal data by the other organisations mentioned in that notice.

Whickham School processes personal data about its pupils and is a “data controller” in respect of this for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. It processes this information to:
• support its pupils teaching and learning;
• monitor and report on their progress;
• provide appropriate pastoral care, and
• assess how well the school as a whole is doing.

This information includes contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information.

Download Notice: Layer 2 (Word:49KB)

Download Notice: Layer 3 (Word:50KB)

October 30th – November 3rd

Rehearsals are well under way for this autumn’s school production, the highly successful West End musical, We Will Rock. The show is the result of a unique collaboration between Queen and Ben Elton, and takes some of their classic rock into a futuristic world where rock music is no more and a hero is sought to bring its return.

The show promises a highly energetic mixture of drama, music, and dance along with some audience participation. Get your tickets early for what promises to be another memorable school production.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that pupils have started the new school year wearing correct uniform and maintaining the standards that are such an important part of school life here at Whickham. As you know, considerable time was invested in the summer term in ensuring that all students arrived at school in the correct uniform. Throughout this term, we will continue to monitor standards of dress to ensure that all students consistently meet uniform requirements.

Examples of our school uniform are available from this website and a copy of the Headteacher’s autumn uniform letter is available to download.

Uniform Reminder Letter (Word:24KB)

Even by the adventurous standards of Whickham School’s programme of international visits, this summer’s World Expedition to India established a new level of challenge.

Eight students accompanied by Mr Golightly flew to Delhi and then continued their journey by bus to Manail in the north of India, before continuing on to Leh in the Himalayas. A vital few days were spent acclimatising to the altitude and heat, before travelling by jeep to a small primary school in Shay village.


Once there, they spent a week painting the school and adding educational murals to the walls. Their contributions were greatly appreciated and they received formal thanks from local politicians and community leaders.

The team then progressed to the Zanskar mountain range, coping with altitude sickness and tiredness as they scaled heights of some 16.900ft over a ten-day trek. Their exertions were rewarded with some memorable views and a remarkable sense of personal achievement.

At the end of the expedition, the students enjoyed a well-deserved period of rest and recreation in Delhi, including a trip to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

Whickham School students are celebrating the most impressive set of examination results in the school’s history across all key stages. At KS3, pupils achieved an average level 5 and above percentage of 87%, with record figures of 89% 5+ in Mathematics and 90% 5+ in English. On average, 51% of pupils achieved level 6+ across all three core subjects, reflecting significant accomplishment for pupils of all abilities.

At Key Stage 4, students once again performed at record levels with 86% achieving five 5 A* - C, the highest figure in the school’s history and a 2% improvement on last year’s figure. Such consistent levels of attainment were achieved through the shared commitment of students and staff, reinforced with valuable parental support.
Three of our GCSE students achieved 10 A* grades and one student achieved 11 A* - a remarkable individual achievement.

At KS5, students achieved a pass rate of 99%, a 4% improvement whilst an impressive 43% of students achieved A or B grades a 7% improvement on the previous year. Amongst this collective success, there were some remarkable individual achievements. We are delighted that the vast majority of students achieved their first choice university place.

Congratulations to all our students on their collective success

After a restful summer, no doubt students will be eager to participate in a variety of after-school sports activities. The PE Department will be running a wide-ranging sports programme from Monday 17th September using our extensive sports facilities. Trampolining, football, dance, hockey, basketball, tennis and other sports will be available. Download the attached document for a full timetable of events and see Mr McConway in the PE Department if you have any questions.

Download After School Clubs information [PDF: 77KB]

Please find download below:

Download School Calendar 2007-1008 (Word:253KB)

We would like to welcome all new pupils who will be arriving at Whickham School in September. Through Mr Morrison’s visits to local primary Schools, our taster Day, subject visits and a host of other events, we hope that many of you have already had a positive introduction to the school.

A leaflet is provided at the end of this article that offers further information on year 7 at Whickham. Information on uniform is available elsewhere in the Parents’ section of the website.

We wish all our prospective pupils a happy summer break and look forward to seeing you all in September.

Introduction to Year 7 (PDF:51KB)

In June, Mr Morrison wrote to all parents with guidance on school uniform requirements at Whickham School.

A copy of that letter is included to download here to remind parents of the uniform requirements here at Whickham, along with visual guidance on items that are acceptable, and those that are not.

A number of order forms are also attached to enable you to order the relevant items of uniform.

Downloads

Letter to Parents (Word:22KB)

Dress Code - Acceptable Standards (PDF:175KB)

A Level P.E. Order Form 2007 (PDF:85KB)

Years 10/11 P.E. Shirt Order Form 2007 (PDF:72KB)

Girls P.E. Order Form 2007 (PDF:33KB)

BTEC PE Order Form (PDF:85KB)

Following the success of Easter’s Sports Camp, Whickham School and Sports College are delighted to offer a Summer Sports Camp to run for the first two weeks of the summer holidays. Pupils will be able to participate in a wide variety of sports and take full advantage of our high quality equipment and facilities with the benefit of specialist coaching.

Our Easter Sports Camp involved pupils from year 1 all the way up to year 8 and they valued the opportunities to participate in a range of activities. The camp will run from Monday 23rd July until Thurs 2nd August (excluding weekends) and pupils can attend for one or both weeks.

If you would value an active start to the summer, please download the permission letter below.

Permission letter (Word)

The last sports day for Mrs Doherty was her final public farewell!

After 22 years of teaching with a break to raise her family Mrs Doherty is retiring. Her teaching and love for sports has encouraged students to proceed in a range of activities. Her teaching in lessons has made students learn about the sport being taught whilst enjoying the lesson. Finally her last sports day approached and she was awarded with a bouquet of beautiful flowers. She appeared thrilled with her gift and she also received a warm cheer from the crowd.

We asked Mrs Doherty her highlights of working at Whickham School and she said, “ My satisfaction is bringing athletes and cross country runners through the school and finally helping them reach county level. I also enjoyed promoting enthusiasm in students for a variety of sports. I will miss working with the children and being part of a professional, supportive and enthusiastic PE department�?

Goodbye Mrs D we wish you all the best for the future!

As another successful year draws to a close Whickham Sixth Form is turning its attention to enrolment. Over 200 students have indicated that they wish to enrol in August and 2007 promises to be an exciting time for the sixth form.

Whickham Sixth Form prides itself on helping all students achieve their potential. Year 11 students and parents from Whickham and beyond have already had discussions on course selection to ensure that students receive the best advice to help them make choices on the most appropriate courses for study. Further support will be provided at enrolment day itself when those important course choices will be finalised, providing options that engage and challenge and provide opportunities for further success. Even at this early stage, it may be useful for some students to research university entry requirements to address future aspirations.

Sixth Form enrolment takes place between 10am and 1pm on Friday 24th August, the day after GCSE results day. Staff will be available in the main hall to enrol students and discuss options. Please bring along a copy of your GCSE results.

The links below provide further information on the extensive curriculum on offer, entry requirements and the wider life of the Sixth Form. If there are any queries regarding the Sixth Form please do not hesitate to contact Mr Turnbull on 0191 4960026 Ext. 236.

Download Additional Information PowerPoint (120KB)

On Tuesday 15th May students and teachers came together for a celebratory assembly to bid farewell to year 11 ahead of their busy period of examinations. Fab Flournoy, the highly successful coach of the Newcastle Eagles Basketball team, came in to present Records of Achievement to the packed audience of year 11 students.

After the more formal presentations from Mr Morrison and Fab Flournoy, tutors gave a series of witty and emotional speeches that reflected their five years with their groups. Mr Ward and Mrs Macpherson rounded – off the occasion with a series of ‘alternative’ awards, in an afternoon full of emotion and good humour.

We wish our students every success in their forthcoming examinations and hope to see them again at the year 11 prom on the 29th June.

Due to the change of website Ranger Outpost has been re-configured requiring an update to be installed. Download the update and accept the default options.

Download Ranger Outpost

David Miliband
Recent visit of David Miliband to the school


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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, David Miliband visited our school on Friday 27th April to meet students involved in an Environmental Enterprise Project.

During the visit Mr Miliband saw the work students are undertaking in connection with an online Environmental Qualification on Climate Change funded by DEFRA.

Mr Miliband also saw at first hand the recycling efforts at Whickham School regarding bottles, paper and plastic before viewing an environmental enterprise project.

The visit concluded with a "Question Time" session with the School Council.

Headteacher Neil Morrison considers the visit to be;

Very appropriate given the efforts we are making at Whickham to help the environment. In a school of over 1700 students and 125 staff we can together make a significant contribution to helping the environment of our community and beyond. We look forward very much to welcoming Mr Miliband.

South Shields MP, David Miliband said;

I am delighted to have the opportunity to see first hand how the young people of Whickham School are helping protect the environment. It is important that we all do our bit. Dave Anderson, MP for Blaydon and I are looking forward to seeing the recycling schemes that have been put in place at the school as part of the enterprise project.

David Miliband
Recent visit of David Miliband to the school

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The Whickham School under 18 rugby team are celebrating after a hard fought victory over Kings School Tynemouth in the final of the Tyneside Senior Secondary Schools Cup. In a closely matched game, dominated by two defences who effectively cancelled one another out, victory was always going to be achieved by the tightest of margins. The final score was 10-10 but Whickham secured victory by virtue of a more attacking performance reflected in their two tries, compared to Kings scores of one try, conversion and a penalty.

The team have put aside the previous disappointment of losing to Dame Allans in the semi-final of the annual Emmanuel 7 aside rugby tournament. The victory at Percy Park represents a major achievement and a winning end to a successful season.

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Staff have undergone further training...