Regents Review Spring '18

REGENTS PARK COMMUNITY COLLEGE NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2018

Bake Off

Oxford Uni Visit

Homeless Play

Saints Foundation

Page 26

Page 4

Page 11

Page 16

The Regents Review Spring 2018

WELCOME

Headteacher’s Welcome

amazing timing as we welcomed Simon Hughes HMI and Harry Ingham HMI from Ofsted this week. At time of press I am unable to comment on the judgements but it was a positive visit that made me extremely Proud. Finally, I would like to thank, parents, staff and the students for their support and commitment to making Regents Park a very special place of learning. I wish Sam Barnes and her team the very best for future as she continues to move the

Dear Regents Park Community It is a very strange feeling writing my final piece for the Regents Review. Of course when I joined Regents in 2006 there was no Regents Review and I hope this is one of the good things that has happened since I became the Head in 2013. In 2006 when I arrived, Tony Blair was prime minister, who? I hear younger readers ask? Actually, he was a great believer in the need for investment in schools and I met him twice in my two previous London schools. I have been actively promoting the need for investment in schools through the minimum-funding guarantee - we have seen uplift, but not enough! Also in 2006 the Apple iPhone had not been launched. It is amazing how technology has moved forward, but in my mind this has not necessarily made the improvements to education. Regents Park has improved by challenging students to achieve more than they thought was possible. The final validated 2017 data from the department of education was recently released which placed Regents Park in the top 20% of all schools again - actually top 11%. This has been

school forward. Jonty Archibald

Phone of choice in 2006

Tony Blair Primeminister 1997-2007

GENERAL NEWS

Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service On the 9th March, Year 7 and 8 students took part in a Fire Safety session delivered by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. During the session they were informed not only on how to prevent fires at home, but also to consider a fire escape plan. Afterwards they were lucky enough to explore a Fire Engine and even got took try out the fire hose!

2

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS Community News Lettings

• Drama and dance studios • 25 metre swimming pool • Various classrooms with presentation equipment • 5 ICT suites • Library • All weather pitch • Floodlit courts In addition to the above the school also has external providers using its facilities in which students and parents can participate. Some of these external providers are:

Regents Park Community College is at the heart of the city of Southampton and is the focus of so much of the surrounding community’s activities. The school has superb facilities that are available for hire: • Swimming Pool • Large main hall with stage and presentation equipment • Gymnasium • Conference rooms • Dining facilities Charity Fund Raising The senior Student Leadership team have been busy raising funds for their Prom in June running cake stalls and sweet sales at break and lunch times.

• Otters Learn to Swim • Dolphin School of Swimming • MF Martial Arts

• Wessex Swim School • Treasure Gymnastics

Summer Fete Building on the success of last year’s Summer fete we are beginning to organise 2018! If you would like to be involved by either donating prizes for our raffle or are a local business that would like to run a stall or just volunteer your services, please contact Mrs Freeman at the school. • ‘Save the Date’ • Activities include: • Art & Photography Exhibition • Live music • Penalty ‘shoot-out’ on the 3G pitch • A Scavenger Hunt • BBQ • Fun and games and so much more… Everyone is welcome, come along and see what Regents Park has to offer! Thursday July 12th 4 – 7 pm

Rock Challenge A massive thank you to everyone who played a part in this year’s Rock Challenge. Outstandingly, we came 1st place in our heat for Rock Challenge, winning 11 awards of excellence for choreography, soundtrack, stage use, drama skills, stage crew, performance skill, entertainment, set design, concept, visual enhancement and video performance. Particular thanks go to those that helped with costumes, set, choreography and on the day. A big thank you also to those that assisted with rehearsals. We have qualified for the Southern Grand Final in Portsmouth at the end of April - details to follow.

3

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Oxford University Visit On Thursday 22nd February a group of students from Years 7, 8 and 9 took part in a rewards visit to Oxford University. The students chosen were rewarded for winning a Dragon’s Den style inter-tutor group competition and were the award winners for their year group. The trip began with a talk explaining how students should already be planning their post 16 and post 18 education plans. They were given tips and ideas on how to improve their own learning and to encourage independent study. It was stressed how working hard

in school now is the first step to getting into a top university. Even in Years 7-9 students should consider wider reading around their subjects, using the internet for learning and listening to programmes on Radio 4. Two students studying at Oxford explained that getting into Oxford is accessible for all students. One of the students who spoke was from a state school in Southampton. To inspire the students further the group were then taken on a guided tour of Lincoln College, visiting the formal dining hall, the Chapel, the bar and students’ common room as well as walking around the quads and gardens. Here are some of the students comments on the day: “In my opinion the trip was full of surprises and it was really inspirational from an educational prospective. It was a smashing trip!” - Arash Najd

“I really enjoyed this cracking visit to Oxford today. I found it very interesting how the university was set up! It was an excellent day out and I will have to return here soon.” - Mason Knight “In my opinion this trip was amazing as we could see how the university look like as it’s the famous university and the staff who took us to Oxford were amazing!” - Minshal Muneer “Today was a fun day because we saw Oxford University and learned that they have 250 courses to study altogether! It was a wonderful trip with the teachers.” - Layla Taylor

Heroes in the Community

It is always wonderful to hear when the students from RPCC have made us proud. On Friday the 9th March we received a wonderful phone call from a member of the public who wanted us to know that she had just seen two green shirted students helping an elderly couple. The two students Kenzie Wyatt and Kian Cheshire had seen that a car had broken down and they decided to support and help to push the car to a safer place. We are extremely proud of yet more students from our school showing our core values in society. Well done boys and keep up the good work.

4

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Year 7 Year 7 have continued to prove themselves as the biggest and best year group in RPCC. Year 7 have achieved an astonishing 43,903 achievement points between them. I would like to congratulate our top 10 pupils (to the right) who have achieved the most achievement points out of our Year 7 cohort. As tutor groups we have been competing since September, to see which tutor group can achieve the most achievement points- well done to Branson LE

Name

Points

Yr 7 Zero Heroes Kacper Andrzeiczak Eashan Apadoo Dylan Baddams Alex Ballard Nathan Boyce Craig Brunsdon Kaitlyn Castle Josh Charles Cassie Connell Vernessa Cooper William Crouch Jamie Day Dia Dishad Ani Doncheva Emily Dunn Megan Durham Ella Farrelly Daniel Fernandes Alisa Filippova Kai Gardiner Andrea Gilmore Alisha Gray-Cook Emily Harbut Harry Harmer Natan Harnszkiewicz Gabrielle Harries Malee Hopkins Nicole Ioan Sarah Khan Alex Knight Natasza Kolodzieicyzk Kim Kudzia Molly Langston

Katie Pitman- Davies

470 408 401 400 399 397 396 394 394

Poppy Cross

Alisha Gray- Crook Caitlin Wink Kareena Kaur Preston Darling

Layla Taylor

Vernessa Cooper

Lex White

Reggie Turner-Williams 381 Year 7 have shown great resilience, determination and enthusiasm towards their school life, they have an overall attendance of 96.68% and the following pupils have not missed a day of school this year up until 9th March: J ake Allen, Holly Anstey, Eashan Apadoo, Alex Ballard, Josh Charles, Sophie Chester, Vernessa Cooper, William Crouch, Ani Doncheva, Daniel Fernandes, Alisa Filippova, Henry Geddes, Emily Goard, Natan Harnaszkiewicz, Malee Hopkins, Maya Kaur, Natasza Kolodziejczyk, Tisha Latkar, Diego Moreno, Jorja Murphy, Liam Murphy, Maddison Murphy, Jacob Murray, Vivian Nomo, Katie Pitman, Sophia Rickard, Callum Russell, Annalise Ryves, Luke Saunders, Drew Sennatt, Hayden Smith, Finley Totten, Connor Underhill, Lisa Williams, Tom Winchcombe, Bradley Winterburn and Bailie Wyatt. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two terms working with Year 7. I have had the pleasure to see some fantastic work going on across the curriculum, we have an extremely talented Year Group and I am excited to see how each pupil can progress in the summer term and moving into Year 8. Enjoy the Easter Holidays!

Position Tutor

Points

1st

Branson LE 9079

2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th

Parks HF

7948

Rowling KG 7089

Parks JF

6864

Rowling AL 6722

Branson AS 6201 Year 7 have settled in brilliantly to RPCC and the large majority of pupils are impeccably behaved around school and in lessons. I would like to personally congratulate all of Year 7’s who are ‘zero heroes’ in terms of not having any behaviour points at all since September.

Miss A Cooper Head of Year 7

Jessica Lee Ellie Lyons

Erin Maddock Joy McComb

Allia Mesa Holly Miles

English homework produced by Kim Kudzia

5

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Yr 7 Zero Heroes Abigail Moore Chloe Moore Joseph Morris Jorja Murphy Maddison Murphy Ruby Murray Georgina Oak Wanessa Ostrowska Katie Pitman Patricia Prabucki Raeed Saeed Drew Sennatt Daniel Shwani Hayden Smith Layla Taylor Samuel Turner Faith Vine Jessica Ward Lex White Charlie Williams Lisa Williams Stacy Williams Caitlin Wink Bradley Winterburn Bethan Rickard Sophia Rickard Annalise Ryves

Year 8 We are now two thirds of the way through Year 8 and I’m sure you will all agree that this year has gone extremely quickly. I have taken great pleasure in overseeing the development of all students in lessons and also their development in to young adults. Year 8 have shown me a wide range of qualities throughout the year in a variety of different areas around the school. It has been a busy term for Year 8 with a week of exams in January, the options process where students are planning their journeys in to Key Stage 4, Year 8 parents evening, sporting fixtures and tournaments, visits from theatre companies and an extremely successful Rock Challenge in which RPCC gained several awards. Year 8 have been fantastic through all of these events and have been a massive credit to themselves by showing focus, maturity and success across all areas. There are several excellent opportunities available to students at RPCC and I urge all students to participate in as many of these opportunities as they can. I have great pride in overseeing the development of Year 8 and look forward to carrying on sharing the successes with Year 8 students in to everyone’s favourite term, the Summer term. This will lead us perfectly into Year 9 where the students will begin their GCSE options and give the students the opportunity to prove themselves as the most successful year group at RPCC. Have a wonderful Easter and I look forward to seeing you all and the sun in April!

Mr Gates Head of Year 8

Year 9

Well done to everyone for beating Year 8!

Year 9 continue to do well in lessons, showing a real maturity towards their learning, which is fantastic. Currently Year 9 are the 2nd best year group in terms of achievements behind Year 7 who have a larger cohort. Students who are topping the Year group are listed on the right:

Zoe Swift Bethany Hurst Mason Baddams Bartek Lebek Thomas Farrelly Jack Young Joshua Pitter Olivia Bearfield David Calin

1st - Zoe Swift

2nd - Bethany Hurst

3rd - Mason Baddams

6

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Attendance is vitally important to help ensure students make progress towards their targets. A number of students have not missed a day of school in Year 9. The following students have 100% attendance: Well done. Ayaz Ahmed Hannah McArthur Rafath Ahmed Dipeen Mishra Vickie Andrews Arash Najd Mattias Avram Tiger Needham Maimuna Bah Sebastian Nobis Alissa Ballard Mathilda Parker Leo Basilio Arwen Patricio Lauren Biddlecombe James Phippard Ryan Bricknell Maksymillian Pniok Benjamin Coruch Tanzeebur Rahman Oliwia Dabrowska Klaudia Reczka Annalise Foley Emily Riches Michal Kaminski Maisy Spicer Tom Kelly Manpreet Taak Mason Knight Bethany Watkins

Dylan Manning

Anelka Yossef

Aidan Martin I would like to wish all Year 9 students and parents a fantastic Easter holiday and I look forward to pushing on in the Summer term. Mr Sinclair Head of Year 9 “I have really enjoyed Year 9 so far. It has allowed me to grow in confidence and take part in experiences that have been impelling and very pleasant. One subject I have especially enjoyed is art. I have worked with acrylic paint, clay and moving onto mono-printing. Also science has been exciting when doing experiments and history has been informative. All of my teachers are friendly, funny and cheerful most of the time! One point in Year 9 that has been different was the options. I liked this as it gave me the freedom to drop some subjects and choose two different and new ones to study. Year 9 has been enjoyable year so far and hopefully this will continue through the rest of my time here at Regents Park Community College”. Bethany Hurst - Year 9

Year 10 Spring has really sprung and Year 10 are heading towards their final term before the ‘business’ year begins in September. Students are studying hard and working towards their goals. It has been a busy term with Rock Challenge, skiing, Munich Head boy and Girl applications, interviews and final challenges, as well as keeping up with their studies. I would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to my new Assistant Head of Year, Mr Spencer. I know he is very excited about his new role within the year group and looks forward to working alongside many of you to continue to support your child as much as possible. I know I am very proud that over 70 parents received a positive letter home when teachers were asked to praise students who go ‘above and beyond’ in their

lessons. I really enjoy discussing positive achievements your children continue to do. As we look forward to next year there is so much to get done, GCSE’s and final exams are on the forefront of our mind, revision sessions (period 7s) information will be coming to you very soon so that you can support your child in making the decisions about revision. We will be starting motivational reports again very soon. The Head Boy and Girl will be working hard on supporting the school and ensuring next year runs smoothly with transition and achievement. Prom committee will also be starting with many places already scoped out for the biggest event in June next year, we will be writing to you at the beginning of September to let you know our plans. If you would like to have a head start of revision there are plenty of websites which will offer including, GCSEpod, Doddle, Maths Watch,

Pixl maths App, Pixl English app and Maths Genie. We are organising a school trip for the 6th September to Thorpe Park as a final ‘hooray’ before the hard work beginnings, letters for this trip will be coming out for this after Easter. Colleges are coming in to school to discuss future options as well as NCS who are offering great placements for summer 2019. Year 10 continue to be a massive credit to the school with maturity, kindness, and a passion for their education, I thank you for your continued support with Year 10. I wish you a happy, healthy and safe Easter break and look forward to seeing you in my personal favourite term, Summer term. Bring on that sunshine. Miss Bishop Head of Year 10

7

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Year 11 Students in Year 11 came back after a well deserved Christmas break and have made a good start to the New Year. As a school, we are looking to encourage all students to take ownership of their learning and revision. The best revision is that done in class time but there are a variety of before and after school opportunities for all students. In addition, the school has made every student aware of the additional online resources available including GCSEpod, Doddle, Maths Watch, Pixl maths App, Pixl English app and Maths Genie.

facilities and to meet their future teachers. We would encourage students to attend these where possible. As well as the hard work, there is plenty to look forward to. NCS youth options have been promoting their amazing outdoor activity fortnight during the summer holidays. It’s a fantastic opportunity for all young people to be involved with and it is very good value considering the experiences that are on offer. Many students have already signed up but there is still time to get involved. NCS will be back in March to hand out more application forms but they can also be contacted through their website www.youthoptions.co.uk . Year 11 are also busy preparing for their prom. We are delighted to confirm that on Thursday 28th June 2018, they will be celebrating the end of their school days in the beautiful setting and buildings of McDonald Botley Park. To raise money, the Prom committee have been organising a number of events including cake sales. All the teachers and staff are thoroughly looking forward to celebrating with you on the 28th! As these important exams get closer, we would encourage all students and parents to engage with us in promoting quality

revision and a healthy lifestyle for the students. For any further information on how to do this, please feel free to contact myself or Mr Brown for advice and guidance.

Finally, can I say a big thank you to the Student Leadership Team who have been working extremely hard to represent their year group and effect improvements around the school raised through our student voice. They are doing an amazing job of managing this responsibility with their studies. Thank you also to the teachers, tutors and other staff that have helped and supported Year 11 so far. We are very proud of you all and wish you all the best for your GCSEs. Sam Bell in engineering at City College

In addition to the hard work in school, most students have now accepted, been offered or are interviewing for college places. Many colleges are still hosting Open Evenings which are always worth attending to find out more about courses, qualifications, Ben Kitcher in engineering at City College

Mr Holloway Head of Year 11

8

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Library Harry Potter Night was on the 1st of February and to celebrate Regents Park Library held a sorting ceremony and Harry Potter quiz. The theme of the evening was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in honour of the new film. Miss Pritchard used resources from J.K. Rowling’s official website, Pottermore, to find students houses. She is a Hufflepuff, in case you were wondering. The Harry Potter quiz was a very close draw with Krishma Kasba and Sam Cartmel (both Year 8) correctly answering three tie breaker questions each before settling on sharing the prize. Their knowledge of the books and films was astounding! A big well done to them both.

Year 7

Most Quizzes Passed Emily Goard, Caitlin Wink & Vivian Nomo 21 quizzes Artur Krassavin 18 quizzes

Most Points Earned Wanessa Ostrowska 16.3 points

Most Words Read Riley Zanelloti 99,996 words Wanessa Ostrowska 96,658 words Megan Williams 95,587 words

Riley Zanellotti 16 points

Wanessa Ostrowksa 17 quizzes

Vivian Nomo 14.4 points

Year 8

Most Quizzes Passed

Most Points Earned Caitlyn Manning 10.9 points Chloe Turner 9.6 points

Most Words Read

Caitlyn Manning 22 quizzes

Caitlyn Manning 47,952

Joshua Benson- Armer and Rajveer Kasba 18 quizzes Oliwia Komisarz 14 quizzes

Oliwia Komisarz

Some of the questions featured in the quiz are included for you to test your knowledge: Which Hogwarts student said “I don’t go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me”?

Joshua Benson- Armer 7.4 points

Dawid Skurski 24,208 words

• Fred Weasley • Ron Weasley • Harry Potter

What colour was Hermione’s dress for the Yule Ball in The Goblet of Fire film?

• Blue • Pink • Gold

What is the name of Dumbledore’s Phoenix? • Guy • Fawkes • November Accelerated Reader leadership tables to the right (correct as of the 27th February):

9

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Enrichment Project

Students have been learning about staging and set design during Enrichment sessions. They have chosen a story and written an analytical essay detailing how they would stage the production – everything from set and props to lighting and special effects! The students have been challenged on the quality of their academic writing and have been looking at A-Level Drama and Theatre Studies criteria. The students have then written an extract of script to go with their production analysis! Maddie – an English Undergraduate student from Southampton University – visited once a week for five weeks to challenge the students on the quality of their script-writing. Calum Simpson (Year 8) has even built an amazing Lego model of his set design for his vision of Matilda featuring a tiny chokey!

Yomi Rapper As an end of year treat, on Thursday 14th December, Year 11s were treated to a

performance of several tracks by rapper, Yomi. He also had a strong story to tell our students about his tough upbringing in care homes, his time in gangs and prison, and how he found his path out of this destructive lifestyle. One of the Year 10 students said, “He helped with inspiring us to guide ourselves through life in a positive way. The music was also great and it was a really good atmosphere”

10

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Homelessness Play On Tuesday 6th February, we welcomed the Zest Theatre group to perform to our Year 10 students and Year 9 Drama group. The production, ‘Until It’s Gone’, was hard-hitting and based on true stories of young people facing homelessness. Follow two years of Craig’s life as he decides to leave home before he is ready. With nowhere to go he quickly realises that real life isn’t as easy as he first thought. After the play the actors moved into an interactive workshop where the students had the chance to ask questions directly to the characters from the play. Harriet Baker in Year 10 said, “ It was a fun play but it also had lots of helpful messages about teenage problems, like drugs, alcohol and pregnancy ” Digital Detox From 5th – 11th February this term, students from across the school, as well as staff, took part in a Digital Detox. The idea was for participants to have a break from their phones for the week, particularly social media, in order to promote wellbeing. Digital ‘detoxers’ found the experience liberating and found that it gave them much more time in their days! In addition, some students were sponsored to do the detox and raised money for both the Usborne Reading Challenge and the Red Cross.

“The Digital Detox was easy because I had my family there to support me with no phone. Instead of me being on my phone, we went to places with the dog like the New Forest. I enjoyed it because it felt good not to be on something I was always using. I would do it again as it has made me use my phone less.” - Ella Farrelly, Year 7 “I found it educating, as I had more time to spend with my family and look at the nature around me, for example watching the Chase with my Grandad! I would do this again because it is fun not looking at the internet all the time and being more social.” - Kareena Kaur, Year 7

11

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS Year 10 Big Interview

how prepared they were - a big part of which is down to the Year 10 tutor team! Here are some other comments the interviewers had of the year group: • They loved their ambition • Students were interesting, confident, engaging and passionate • They were great at taking feedback

On Friday 2nd February we were lucky to have 14 guests from various local government and private organisations such as HMRC, Womble Bond Dickinson and the University of Southampton who visited the school to conduct interviews for every Year 10 student. The interviewers wanted to pass on how impressed they were by the Year 10’s in their mock interviews particularly mentioning

Awareness of mental health Loved seeing them smile!

Regents Park Alumni In order to celebrate the success of our former students and inspire our current ones, we will be starting up an alumni profile page in the Regents Review! For this edition, we feature a ‘Green and Proud’ of our staff members who used to attend the school!

Who was your favourite teacher at Regents Park and why? Mr Isaacs and Miss Howard

How has your time at Regents Park helped you with your life after education? I went to Richard Taunton College and competed 4 A Levels and then onto the University of Winchester to do a history degree. I then went onto do a bit of

travelling before doing my PGCE at Sussex University. What did you go on to do when you left Regents Park?

I gained good GCSEs from Regents Park that set me up to complete further education - I also had a really positive experience throughout my school life at Regents Park.

What advice would you give your former 14 year old self? To not worry as much - it always works out in the end!

Mrs O’Brien

Who was your favourite teacher at Regents Park and why? Mrs Ukahi because she was always so enthusiastic and supportive! How has your time at Regents Park helped you with your life after education? My time at Regents Park improved my ability and passion for a subject I had previously not liked, Maths. What did you go on to do when you left Regents Park? I went on to attain a Mathematics degree and I am going to be training to become a Maths teacher. What advice would you give your former 14 year old self? I would tell myself not to get so worked up about exams; as long as you have revised and done your best, that is all you can do.

Miss Birch

12

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Who was your favourite teacher at Regents Park and why? Mrs Cosford because she made me laugh and her lessons were always fun. Mr Isaacs lessons were also enjoyable as he used to play music as we would come in. How has your time at Regents Park helped you with your life after education? Regents Park helped me to pass all of my exams with C’s and above, so that I was able to go to college for further education. What did you go on to do when you left Regents Park? After Regents Park I went to Tauntons, university did not really interest me and I wanted to start working as soon as possible. I completed the two years and then started my job here doing an apprenticeship in Business Administration.

What advice would you give your former 14 year old self? As long as you try and do your best that’s all that matters.

Miss Lovato

BBC School Report On the 15th March, Year 9 took part in BBC’s annual school report, which saw Regents Park create a news bulletin outlining the day’s top stories. To watch the video please click here: http://regentsparkcollege.org.uk/bbc-school- report-2018/

Our Students at City College

Students taking engineering and motor vehicle courses must wear safety boots and overalls in the workshops, which until this year had to be purchased by the students themselves. So it is thanks to the kind sponsorship of Eddy Hall, BeckEd Racing Supplies Ltd who has kindly donated overalls for all of these students to wear! Please see the photograph of our students proudly wearing their designer overalls, the envy of others at college, in overalls that are not merely ‘one size fits all’!

A number of Regents Park students in Years 10 & 11 attend college courses for one morning each week throughout the academic year. Courses currently studied include Engineering Technology, Introduction to the Hair & Beauty Sector and Early Years. In the Summer Term some of our current Year 9 students will be attending a taster day at City College in preparation for taking up a range of courses there in the autumn. All courses include a lot of practical ’hands on’ activities which the students really enjoy.

13

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Ski Trip 2018 We left for France at 2 pm on Friday 2nd March. We certainly didn’t expect to leave King Edward Avenue in snow. We left on time, but the journey did take longer than anticipated, as there had been a huge dump of snow in the French mountains, thanks to the “Beast from the East”. The area we skied was the Serre Chevalier valley in the southern French Alps. We met our ESF ski teachers at the mid station at an altitude of 2000m for our first day’s skiing. The conditions were perfect with fresh snow and blue skies. The first morning was spent on the beginners’ slopes practising simple turns and snowplough stops, before we were safe enough to go on the more difficult slopes at the top of the mountain. Progress was really quick though, and by day 3 all groups were skiing blue slopes and by day 5 everyone was able to ski some of the intermediate slopes from the top of the mountain to the foot of the valley. The views we had of the mountains were spectacular all week with so much snow and great visibility. Lydia Barucka was awarded top skier for the week. She achieved the ESF silver award with merit for her controlled parallel turns and all round good skiing. Joshua Benson-Armer was also awarded the silver award.

There were Wally of the day awards for students on the slopes. Gary Hearn was the first skier to be voted a wally for skiing into numerous other students, Joshua Thomas also picked up the award for skiing into a piste sign and removing it from its position and Jonny Nutt won the coveted award for dropping one of his ski poles off the chair lift on the first run of the day and skiing all day without it. He was known by the group as “One Pole Jonny” for the rest of the week. Our hotel was full board, but we ate one night in the local pizzeria and also had evening entertainment including bowling, a spectacular fire work display, a torch light procession by our ski instructors, sledging and bowling. It was a great week in the Alps. Students not only learnt how to be competent skiers, but experienced the mountain environment and to live and learn as part of an outdoor team. I really enjoyed being with the Regents Park ski team and look forward to running the visit again next year. If your child is interested in being part of the 2019 Regents Park ski visit please email info@ regentspark.southampton.sch.uk or ask your child to speak to Mr Brown. We will be visiting the French Alps again in March 2019. Many of the students commented that it was the best school trip that they have ever been on!

14

The Regents Review Spring 2018

GENERAL NEWS

Parent Forum Thank you to all parents who attended the Parent Forum on the 22nd February. Your feedback on a range of topics including the use of homework software is greatly appreciated and will help us in our drive towards further improvements in our practice. The next Parent Forum is scheduled for Thursday 14th June and will run from 6.30 – 7.30. Details and information regarding the agenda will be posted on the school’s website. There will also be an opportunity to meet the newly structured Leadership Team at this meeting. Refreshments are provided and all are welcome. If you would like to suggest an item for the agenda, please use the email info@regentspark. southampton.sch.uk and please specify for the attention of Mrs Cosford.

Spencer, Our Therapy Dog Spencer continues to support staff and students as the Regents Park Therapy Dog. As Spencer gets closer to sitting his Therapy Dog exam Mrs Barnes is working hard to get him to follow the school rules. Spencer was one of our stars on the BBC School Report and he has even attended the Year 10 Parents Evening to meet some of our parents.

PSHE The key themes this term in PSHE have been mental health and risk. In the first half-term, Year 10 and Year 11 students took part in the Heads Up project. These workshops were delivered by Solent Mind in order to inform and educate young people about their wellbeing and mental health. Their other aim was to equip young people with coping strategies so that they can manage their own wellbeing. We hope for KS3 students to

also take part in this project next academic year. In Spring Term 2, students had a variety of workshops and assemblies to raise awareness of potential risks they may come across as teenagers and how to counteract them. The Year 7s and 8s were educated on potential hazards and encouraged to come up with a fire escape plan. They also got to take investigate what a working Fire Engine is like; they particularly enjoyed trying out the fire hose- luckily it was

a dry morning and the beast from the east was nowhere to be seen! The Year 8s also took part in Yellow Door workshops on what to look out for in terms of dangerous relationships and the year 10s had drug awareness sessions delivered by No Limits organisation. Finally the Year 9s had an educational assembly on the dangers of smoking and drinking alcohol and the Year 11 students had an assembly on consent.

15

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

English

Harry Potter World On Tuesday 6th February, 64 Year 7 muggles travelled by coach to the Warner Bros studio in Leavesden. As they approached the Harry Potter studio tour, students were able to see other movie sets including: ‘Wonder Woman’ and: ‘Mission Impossible’ in the distance, adding to their excitement. After eating lunch in the picnic area, each student was given an entry wristband and passport for the day with the aim of collecting stamps from various hidden locations around the tour. Students were excited to move around the studio experiencing

sets from the films including: The Forbidden Forest; The Great Hall and Diagon Alley. Lots of students said that their favourite set was the quirky Diagon Alley and another highlight was meeting Aragog in the Forbidden Forest. In true magical style, it was snowing heavily as students stepped onto the set of Privet Drive and had a nose around Harry’s childhood home. Maya Kaur said: ‘It was fun to explore and we had a great adventure. Alex Ballard added: ‘It was magical, fun and great’.

Saints Foundation In February, a group of 11 Year 7 students visited St Mary’s stadium for the launch of the next Saints Foundation round. Students had a tour and a session on the workings of a premiership football club as well as an introduction to the course which aims to build confidence; develop leadership skills as well as improving English and Maths skills.

16

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

World Book Day 2018 Due to the snowiest March on record in the UK, World Book Day was rescheduled to 8th March 2018. This year the theme was magic and staff enlivened the corridors with impersonations of characters such as: Severus Snape; Professor McGonagall - there was even a unicorn. Students listened to part of a story in their lessons delivered by teachers from a range of subjects; took part in inter-house reading themed competitions in assemblies and joined in with a book character hunt around school. All students also received a World Book Day voucher entitling them to a free book from participating stores. Mathematics A group of Year 10

Pi Club Year 11 students have been attending mathematics breakfast revision sessions, fondly known as Pi Club, during the Spring term, to prepare for the Pre Public maths exams sat in March. It has been well attended with higher and foundation support offered in key mathematical areas. The lead up to the summer examinations is now in full swing we are expecting to see lots more students. Students can come along to Room 32 from 7.50am on Thursday mornings to benefit from this extra help. We are also expecting Year 11 students to be revising independently at regular intervals at home, reviewing an array of topics covered over the past four years with particular attention given to those highlighted in the recent PPE mock examinations as an area of weakness. Students can use resources on the student drive, which are also downloadable. As well as purchase revision guides and/ or the Practice Papers Plus book from the school office (priced at £2.50).

minutes a question had to be handed in for marking. While the results were being calculated, the students were treated to another interview with one of ABP’s apprentices, where they found out more information about what the University element of this course involves. Finally, the results were announced, and the group were delighted to discover that they came 8th and 14th! It was evident that their hard-work and determination had paid off!

mathematicians, were amongst nearly 100 pupils competing in the ABP Maths Challenge, held at the Ocean Cruise Terminal. They were welcomed by Connor Smith, a Project Engineer from ABP Southampton, who detailed his role with a hope to inspire the students to take an interest in Engineering – one of the many careers where maths is a crucial element. ABP Engineering apprentices were also on hand, to give details about their career pathway with a local company. After the students asked any questions they had, it was time to against schools from all across Hampshire. The teams worked tirelessly for 180 minutes; answering a total of 9 challenging questions, on topics spanning from probability to circle theorem. The questions were designed to test Mathematical thought processes beyond that studied at GCSE. They were only allowed to be working on two questions at a time; so every 10 start the competition… The group were split into two teams, and were up

17

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Numeracy Ninjas

progress in mathematics and, consequently, enable them to face the challenges of the new GCSE with increased confidence. Students in Year 8 now have a weekly Numeracy Ninjas lesson within their tutor time to continue their hard work from Year 7 on Numeracy Ninjas and it will be interesting to see the impact of this work within their maths lessons. This term we are celebrating the following students from 7BY and 7GY who have been working really hard on their Ninjas and have been improving week on week.

This is an initiative which was introduced last year and one which we have implemented to help improve students’ basic skills. Students in Year 7 have really enjoyed tackling Numeracy Ninjas as their daily starter and are keen to see which belt they have achieved. Each year the GCSE examiner’s report highlights the impact of poor basic skills in leading to errors and we feel that the work we are doing, coupled with students’ own independent work to improve their times tables, multiplication and division, will be key in enabling students to make good Maths Innovative Teaching

As a department we strive to teach engaging and relevant lessons to support student learning. This term Year 10 have been looking at surface area of 3D shapes. As part of this topic, students were involved in an orange investigation to work out how the formula of surface area of a sphere, students drew around their oranges on mini white boards and had to work out how many circles they could fill with the peel of the orange, then apply what they knew about calculating area of a circle. When Year 10 students think about area of a sphere in the future I am sure they will remember peeling oranges.

18

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

Science A huge well done and thank you to all the Year 11 and Year 10 students who have been regularly attending Period 7 on a Friday. It has been brilliant to see so many of you starting to prepare yourself for the upcoming exams. Period 7 will be running throughout the Spring and Summer terms right up until the Year 11 exams. Each week you are able to self-assess an area of the GCSE that needs to be improved upon and then work with members of the science department to expand your knowledge. If you don’t feel like staying late after school on a Friday for Period 7 then breakfast club on a Wednesday morning from 7.45 is still available in S4. It’s worth dropping in for the hot chocolate

- let’s hope you visit on a day Mrs Griffiths is making them as her hot chocolates are much better than Mr Moth’s! Another big well done goes to the students who joined Mr Ashworth during the February half term for a higher tier required practical walk though. Gaining an in depth understanding of the AQA required practicals will be essential for success in your exams. There will be Easter revision session on Tuesday 3rd April. Mr Moth and Mrs Griffiths would love to see as many Year 11s as possible. British Science Week This year we have been celebrating British Science Week in a multitude of ways. Mr Moth has been in to assemblies explaining the perils of plastic! Student have learnt about the impact of plastic on marine ecology and have been making plastic pledges with the aim of reducing the amount of plastic that we use each year. Do you really need that drinking straw? Can you cope without that plastic bag? Each of you has

made a plastic pledge - have you managed to keep it? Staff from all areas of the school have been publicising British Science Week by taking part in an element hunt. Students have been searching the school on the lookout for teachers wearing element badges! Mrs Rogers from learning support is not thrilled with being ‘lead’ and Miss Reed was dismayed to found out her element ‘selenium’ is used in antiperspirants. On a happy note, Mr Strange was ecstatic at being Iron man for the week. Students and staff alike had great fun in the science week photo booth. Who wouldn’t want to don an Einstein-esque hair do and play around with some science equipment for a goofy photo.

Technology & ICT Year 7 have been investigating the use of algorithms and flowcharts, creating clear sequences and instructions that could be used when controlling a device. A website that students can use at home to practice their skills is shown below: Hour of code hyperlink code.org/learn Year 8 are currently developing their coding skills in programming using “python” which is text based programmer. They have been understanding the key terms of, Variables, Integers, Inputs, Selection & Iteration. They have been challenged to create programs that can undertake calculations, quiz students on topics and in the end they will be creating a text based RPG. This course has been a taster for those choosing GCSE Computer Science. Both Year 7 & 8 have tested their skills in their exams this term, from Year 8 the following students were top under the following headings to the right:

Attainment (top 10)

Progress (top 10)

Jonny Nutt Dawid Sikora Robert Jackson Alex Gesteira Ronald Redmers Maria Dolegowska Henry Lock Abdel Karoui Lydia Barucka Jonny Nutt Logan Kaiser Karolina Waligora George Jack Caitlyn Manning Abdel Karoui Talal Alzahrani Jebin Gaihre Joshua Benson -Armer

19

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS Physical Education Rugby Our 2017/2018 PE Champions hosted their first whole school event of the year on 13th December. All students in Year 7, 8 and 9 competed brilliantly to try and come out on top in water polo and dodgeball tournaments. The PE Champions were

It is wonderful to see rugby at Regents Park to become better established as a school sport. Students understanding and enjoyment of the game has developed well over the past few years. Interestingly girls have also approached me in developing a girl’s rugby team which would be amazing. It would be great to develop girl’s rugby at Regents Park and compete against girls in other school. With the success of the Red Roses, the national team, girl’s rugby is on the increase. Year 8 recently attended a tournament held at

proactive in ensuring everyone was involved and there was a fantastic atmosphere in both tournament areas. The results were: Year 7 Overall Results

Dodgeball

Water Polo Table Tennis

Branson

Rowling

Rowling

Year 8 Overall Results

Dodgeball

Water Polo Table Tennis

Branson

Rowling

Branson

Year 9 Overall Results

Southampton Rugby Club where they competed against a number of schools in Hampshire. All students were a credit to the Regents Park displaying many of rugby’s core values of, teamwork, respect enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship. The students’ attitude and desire to learn and develop was evident as the tournament progressed scoring many more tries in the afternoon. If students wish to continue to play rugby at a

Dodgeball

Water Polo Table Tennis

Branson Branson We look forward to our next event, The RPCC Charity Swimming Gala, which will be taking place on Thursday 29th March 2018. We wish all competitors the very best of luck and look forward to seeing how the teams get on! As a department we have had a large focus on increasing our extra-curricular club attendance and participation across the school. Through campaigning and encouraging all year groups to attend these clubs with the help of our PE champions, we have seen a huge influx in numbers. In order to ensure there are clubs that students want to see offered, we asked for the views. The feedback from across the year groups showed that they wanted more variety in the type of clubs that we offered. As a result, we now have regular attendance for a girls’ football team which have taken part in tournaments against other schools. Additionally, we also have over 70 students regularly attending trampolining, netball and dodgeball clubs. Some of the feedback gained has been incredibly positive: “We love the range of clubs that are offered and have so much fun! “- Year 7 studen t New to our extra-curricular programme is the PE Passport, where students collect a stamp for every club that they attend throughout each term. By doing so enters these students in a prize draw in order to celebrate their engagement and enthusiasm within the programme. With the help of our PE champions we are able to offer more support and coaching throughout these clubs in order to give the most inclusive and positive experience to sport and activity throughout the school. Rowling

club, Millbrook Rugby Club has ties with Regents Park where they are developing a youth rugby team. With regards to girl’s rugby, the nearest club with over 45 girls playing rugby regularly is at Trojans Rugby Club. For further information please see Mr Sinclair. Coming Up: The RPCC Charity Swimming Gala - Thursday 29th March 2018 Rounders Enrichment Day – Wednesday 25th April 2018 Southampton Swimming Gala – Thursday 3rd May 2018 Southampton City Athletics Championship – Thursday 5th July 2018 RPCC Sports Day – Friday 13th July 2018

20

The Regents Review Spring 2018

DEPARTMENTAL NEWS

PE Champions

Year 7 Football Team: Standing : Jack Mullaghy, Jake Allen, Joe Ryan, Lewis Colvin, Ethan Lock, Rory Maclean, Archie O’Donovan Seated : James Knight, Connor Underhill, Bobby Gorman, Joe Stratford, Finlay Totten, Kirk Payne, Henry Geddes

Back Row – Tom Kelly, Klaudia Fiskewycz, Ben Bowyer, Emily Riches, James Tindall, Emily Norton, Ethan Whybrew, Klaudia Reczka, Mason Knight. Front Row – Arwen Patricio, Hannah McArthur, Isaac Maddock, Julia Niemczyk, Ben Crouch, Lydia MacLean, Annalise Foley, Lizzy Davis.

Sociology In GCSE Sociology we have been continuing to challenge our Year 9 and Year 10 students with recent topics, such as issues regarding educational achievement and how research being carried out might not always be ethical. In the ‘Education’ unit, Year 10 have been studying the different types of schooling that children can have, in regards to independent, state and home schooling, as well as the positives and negatives of each. The students have been engaged in a variety of debates relating to these schooling types and how each one may effect, change and vary the educational progress and achievement that is made

by individual pupils. Alongside this, the students have looked at alternative factors, outside of the educational establishment, that may have an effect on achievement. For Year 9, the current topic is ‘Research Methods’, were we have been looking at different types of data and how it is collected. This has prompted may debates about different types of research and how willingly we, as the public, give out information. The ethical side of the debate has also been thoroughly explored, as we have deliberated the moral and ethical background to social medias, such as Facebook. For the research methods unit, we have

also studied different sampling methods, looking at how people of selected to be studied. Looking forward in the course, we have Year 9 exams in the second week back after the Easter break and Year 10 exams at the end of the Summer term. As a joint Sociology and English event, the RPCC Debate club have won themselves a place at the PIXL Edge Up for Debate Regional Championships – where we wish them the best of luck in each of the debating rounds and with the possibility of going through to the National Finals in the summer.

21