HPA

High Performance

Academy

A Prospectus for 2017-8

An Introduction

Welcome to the second year of the TA High Performing Academy.

We recognise that there are a number of students who are highly motivated

and dedicated to extending their learning. They have particular skills and

talents either within a single area or across several subjects. They question the

world around them and learn from their experiences. We wish to recognise

and develop their skills as they move through the school. These students have

been identified by their teachers and are invited to be part of the High

Performing Academy.

This booklet outlines the range of additional activities which these students

will have the chance to be involved in beyond their regular curriculum and

school day. Some of these activities will take place on the school site while

others will involve them visiting different places and working with different

people. The tasks will develop, challenge and inspire students and will help

them prepare for their approaching GCSE exams and life beyond school.

The students who were part of our inaugural group have really valued the

experiences and opportunities that they have been part of. We are very proud

of all they have become and are looking forward to seeing this next group of

students rise to the challenges ahead.

John Eddy

(Deputy Headteacher)

The Science Faculty

Future Engineers Robotic Challenge, EDF

Residential and Hinkley Point Visit

The Maths Faculty

1. Future Engineers Robotic Challenge

Our HPA students will have the opportunity to compete in the regional heats and then hopefully in the national finals at the NEC Big Bang show in March. Students will prepare for the regional heats by building and programming a Lego Mindstorms Robot and prepare for the following activities:

Carrying out prepared tasks within a 5 minute time frame;

Talking to the judges about how they designed and programmed their robot;

Preparing a presentation about an element of space exploration;

Carrying out an unknown group task.

2. EDF Easter Holiday Residential. EDF STEM residential.

3. Hinkley Point – A half day trip to Hinkley Point to look at the Nuclear Power plant, including time at the site’s facilities and interactive exhibitions.

The English Faculty

Working with Apple FM, Creative Writing

Workshop, “Discover your Voice” with the

English Speaking Union

1. Writing and recording a radio programme.

We are pleased to announce that we are going to be working with Apple FM on

writing, editing, producing and recording a radio programme. This will be 30

minutes in the first instance but could lead to more regular productions. Phil

Hodgson from Apple FM will be visiting us in the next few weeks to initiate the

whole process and we are really excited about this new venture.

2. Creating an anthology

In a creative workshop in the summer term, students will put together an

anthology of excellent creative writing that will be published for Academy

students and parents at the end of the year.

3. “Discover Your Voice”

The English Speaking Union will be joining us to help students develop their

critical thinking, build cohesive arguments and deliver their ideas to an

audience.

The Physical and

Creative Arts Faculty

Raising Aspiration in Physical Education through

Sports Performance days at the University of

Bath.

This activity involves a one day visit to the University of Bath to work with international athletes and coaches and use world class facilities. Students will have access to inspiring high performance, multisport environments and be exposed to the numerous opportunities available in the world of sport whilst experiencing hands on activities to challenge, test and extend their skills.

Possible sessions: Multi skills assessments Laboratory Assessments Hand eye coordination Speed for Sport Speed/agility/quickness Basic strength and conditioning Core stability Field Testing Team building activities Facility Tours Athlete Q & A sessions

The Physical and

Creative Arts Faculty

Art and Photography – Creating a Community

Mural

Students will explore a range of media in order to develop ideas for a mural to

be presented to the local community.

Inspired by a recent school trip to Bristol and the Arnolfini Gallery, the artist

Grayson Perry explores a wide variety of opinions on art and society and

collages them together to produce images/objects and quotes that hold

interest to a wide variety of people, exploring our differences and similarities.

Students will complete research and observations from our local community

and discuss ways that might be suitable to present their findings.

This activity for HPA students will be ongoing until completed in the summer

term. Students will have an HPA Art day every term and a final 3 days to

complete the work in the summer term.

The Physical and

Creative Arts Faculty

Music – Theatre and Song-Writing Workshops,

Heart Radio and ‘A Christmas Carol’.

1. Theatre workshop provided by The Brewhouse Theatre This took place on Thursday 2nd November. It looked at the processes involved in putting on a production, including warm-ups, performance techniques and vocal techniques. It was run by the musical director of the upcoming musical 'A Christmas Carol'.

2. 'A Christmas Carol' on 19th December 2017.

Students will have an opportunity to visit The Brewhouse Theatre to watch the musical version of this famous Dickens novel and embrace the spirit of Christmas!

3. Visit to Heart Radio

This event will take place in Spring 2018 and will look at radio production techniques.

4. Song writing workshop

This event will take place in the summer term.

The Physical and

Creative Arts Faculty

Drama - A Play in a Day

This activity involves creating a performance within one school day and performing it to a younger year group in the afternoon. HPA students that have a flair for acting will be put through their paces in intense professional-style rehearsals in order to create a performance in response to a stimulus. In 2016, this was “The Digital Self”.

The Maths and ICT

Faculty

Codes and Cyphers

Students will explore mathematical encryption and encoding techniques that

have been used throughout history, tackling complex processes to solve a

code breaking challenge. The workshop includes a unique opportunity to see

a genuine Enigma machine and be introduced to its design and role in WW2.

Maths: Interception to Intelligence: Land and Sea

In this interactive workshop, students will further develop their knowledge

and understanding of Britain's influence and role during WW2. Participating in

immersive activities, students will be challenged to think strategically and

help secure Britain’s success in the Battle of the Atlantic.

IT: Cyber Secrets

Through interactive games and activities, students will examine the lessons

learned from Bletchley Park’s Codebreakers and how they relate to being safe

in today’s connected world. They will explore the risks associated with having

a presence in the online environment and discuss techniques to help keep

themselves safe.

The Humanites and

Languages Faculty

The Living Museum

Working with the Living Museum, students from the Humanities Faculty will be working with an expert in military history to explore life during the war in Somerset from both a military and social point of view. They will be able to handle a huge amount of military items including a fully equipped, deactivated BREN light machine gun, try on uniforms of soldiers, firefighters and nurses as well as see the massive change in household product design caused by the needs of the war. In the second part of the day, students will create an in depth research article based on one of the items that the group explored in the morning. This hugely interactive project was run for the first time last year to rave reviews by the students involved and we are very excited to be able to offer this experience for a second year.

When I grow up I would like…

To be iconic like Marilyn Monroe

Or to break boundaries like Alan Turing

To stand up for female rights like Malala

I would like to be declared a genius such as Albert Einstein

Or to have the same deduction skills as Sherlock Holmes

To be able to use literature to teach political values like George Orwell

If I could have the creativity of Tim Burton

The voice of Stevie Nicks

Or the talent of Benedict Cumberbatch

To be a strong survivor like my Mum

A pro-cyclist like my Dad

Or an independent woman like my Auntie

To reinvent myself like David Bowie

To classed as a Rock ‘n’ Roll King like Elvis

Or to be remembered as legendary like Queen

I would like to be as resilient as Jesse Owens

To break the rules like Eminem

Or to inspire people like Martin Luther King

Even though these are extraordinary things

They are found in ordinary people

And I am content to

Find

Them

In

Myself

This poem was written by Gaby Arey as part

of the 2016-17 creative writing workshop.

Students researched inspirational figures

from both history and contemporary life and

then crafted their own poetry entitled “When

I grow up I would like…”

HPA Performing Arts students behind the scenes at the

Torquay Princess Theatre and experiencing the thrill of

performing on stage.