Old Folks’ Christmas Party

3

Gavfro Enterprises 4

Ali Sparkes Bugtastic Visit

5

Parent Forum Update 6

Safer Routes to School 7

Sport News 7

Fareham School Sports

Partnership 9

Events Calendar 13

Inside this issue:

February 2011

Spring Term, Issue 1

The Henry Cort Community College

Spotlight

year 87% took a full GCSE in MFL of whom almost 50% achieved a C grade or better. We also have a strong tradition in both History and Geog raphy . However it is important to remember that the English Baccalaureate grouping of subjects does not include Creative Arts or T e c h n o l o g y . Therefore for some students it may not be sensible for them to focus just on the B a c c a l a u r e a t e sub j ec t s . Fo r example, a student who is keen on the Arts may wish to study both music and drama or music and dance and therefore may not have space on their timetable to study Humanities as well. For Year 9 parents we will be explaining the background to the Baccalaureate and the w a y w e h a v e o r g a n i s e d t h e curriculum and we will e n c o u r a g e o u r students to make the choice based on their particular interests and aptitudes as well as endeavour ing t o achieve the highest possible qualifications.

Funding We are entering into a

Dear Parents As we approach half term I am writing to you with news of some of the more recent activities that have been taking place at Henry Cort and news of other important issues relevant to the education of your children.

Day 10 At our recent Day 10 activity on 14th January 2011 the day was arranged around the product ion of a newspaper by each tutor group. During the day a number of press conferences were held to explain the different events t h a t h a p p e n e d including the discovery of a snake on site and a press conference by Lady Gaga and Jose M o u r i n h o . T h e student’s working as a team under their editor were asked to produce a newspaper of at least 8 sides to be handed in and judged by the end of the day. The quality of the work p r o d u c e d w a s outstanding. We were very impressed with how the students worked throughout the task. At the end of the day the newspapers

were judged by a panel of experts including Sally Tickner, Henry Cort’s Press Officer and Aline Nassiff, Education Correspondent at the Portsmouth Evening News. We also had support during one of our press conferences from a Southampton Daily Echo journalist. I would like to thank Mr Clark Lyons and Mr Hartnell for their work on organising such an excellent day.

New English Baccalaureate

You will have heard in the recent press, news about the introduction o f t he Eng l i sh Baccalaureate as a new measure of school progress. The English Baccalaureate is awarded to students who have achieved 6 or more high grade GCSE passes in Eng l i s h , Ma t h s , Double Science, a Mode r n Fo r e i g n Language and either History or Geography. Henry Cort is well placed to al low students to achieve th is qual i f i cat ion because a large major i ty of our students take a full GCSE in MFL; last

time of a greater austerity for all public services including education. This will mean that some services that have been provided for free by the County will have to become “bought services”. For example all students in Year 10 are given work exper ience opportunities, where in the future this may change and lead to differences in our approach to these matters. Continued overleaf...

Principal’s Update

Spotlight Page 2

Principal’s Update continued….

students that we are within our rights to challenge and sanction students smoking at or near the gates of the College. We would be grateful for parents of this relatively small number of students to support us in this matter by reinforcing the points made.

Uniform I would like to remind students of the College uniform. The uniform list can be found in the students logbook issued at the start of the academic year. The uniform is as follows; Boys & Girls • College blazer • College tie (diagonal light

blue and dark blue stripe) • Plain white College shirt • College sweatshirt • P la in m id -g rey /b lack

straight leg trousers (not cords or jeans)

Boys • White or grey socks, black

shoes (not boots) Girls • Plain mid-grey/black mid-

knee length skirt • Black tights or white or grey

socks • Black shoes with LOW

HEELS (not boots) Hooded tops and cardigans and shoes with patterns and colours on them are not permitted and students should not be wearing them during the College day. I would like to wish you an enjoyable half term. Yours sincerely Mr P Munday, Principal

One aspect of the new financial arrangements is that the schools gain an additional £430 for every student who is eligible for free school meals. Please let us know if your child is eligible for free school meals as this will enable us to access the additional funding. They will not be required to take up the offer of the free meal if they do not wish to but it will enable us to increase revenue for the College and therefore improve the opportunities for students. Likewise for students who parents work for the armed services there is an additional premium of £200 per year. If this applies to your family can you please let us know so we can make a claim as well. Despite the greater austerity in the budget we are confident that with the strong team of teachers and a positive outlook for the college we will be able to maintain our standards and the range of opportunities we can offer our students. We greatly value the work you do with us to support the students and look forward to continuing this valuable partnership.

Attendance One of our targets for the College is to increase the attendance of students and you will be pleased to know that in the autumn term our attendance was raised to 94% which is the highest level the College has attained for some years.

Staff I would like to congratulate Mr

and Mrs Hartnell on the birth of their daughter, Grace, who we hope will be joining Henry Cort in about 11 years time!

New Building Work We have been fortunate to gain some additional capital allowances for the college. We have used these funds to;

• Create new whole class

ICT facilities in Science, Humanities and Special Needs Upgrade facilities so that we no have 30 recently purchased computers in PE, Business Studies and Technology. We completed repainting the Sports Hall in the summer ho l idays and wi l l be refurbishing the floor at Easter. In the Cort Theatre we are replacing the seating due to a generous grant from The William Prices Charitable Trust. This work will take place in February and March. It is important that we continue to work hard to improve our facilities for all our students and staff.

Smoking This term it has been necessary to take action with a small number of students for smoking incidents’ either on the site or outside the front gate. I would like to take this opportunity to remind students that Henry Cort is a strictly non smoking site. Should students be found to be smoking on the site a detention will be set in the first instance and should a student be found to be smoking on a second occasion an immediate exclusion or isolation will be issued. We have also explained to the

Students see Sophie McKenzie

distributed presents to each guest.

All the students involved worked extremely hard to ensure that everyone felt welcomed and looked after during the afternoon. The guests really appreciated their willingness to provide an enjoyable event to mark the beginning of the festive season.

Miss Boyne said “This event which has been organised annually in the College since 1988, reflects that young people are caring and willing to accept a challenge to make a difference to the lives of others. Students from different year groups work together as a team to make positive contribution within the local community. They are a real credit to the College, and we are very proud of them."

On Wednesday 8th December,

local senior citizens were invited to the annual Christmas Party at The Henry Cort Community College. The afternoon was organised and hosted by students from every year group.

Year 10 students following the Catering and Hospitality course spent the morning making cakes, biscuits, sandwiches, savouries and mince pies, which were then served for tea in the middle of the party.

Approximately 70 guests were invited from local residential care homes, Farehaven Lodge, Hunters Lodge, Kiln Lodge, Red House, Collingwood House, Merryhall Rest Home, Osborn Manor, Frosthole Housing Complex, and White Lodge Gardens. Students welcomed guests on arrival, accompanying

them to the Cort Theatre, which they had decorated to create a festive atmosphere.

The afternoon began with a game of Bingo, then performers from different year groups in the College provided a programme of entertainment, including musical items, songs and dance. After tea had been served, everyone joined in with some carol singing. This was followed by a raffle, and at the end of the party, there was a visit from Father Christmas, who

Every parent and carer in Henry Cort automatically becomes a

member of the Henry Cort Parent Forum.

Please come to the meetings:

Wednesday 30 March 2011, Wednesday 25 May 2011

Wednesday 22 June 2011

At 7.00 pm in the staff room

Tea & Coffee Provided!

On Wednesday 12th January, four

students, Harry Latter, Hannah Howley, Alex Yeo and Samuel Woodyard, went to see the author, Sophie McKenzie, at Hamble School. She talked about her latest book, Hunted in The Medusa Project series and signed her books. They were given this opportunity

for being part of a challenge called “Henry’s Books” where year 7 students voted for Sophie’s book (The set up) to win. Four lucky winners were picked out of the hat to attend the evening. It was great to hear the author’s point of view on her books and to meet her in person. A good time was had by all. By Samuel Woodyard, DJE.

Page 3 Spring Term, Issue 1

Old Folk’s Christmas Party was a Cracker!

Gavfro Enterprises Succeed Again!

Crofton Manor stables to photograph their horses and ponies and sell badges of them to their clients. This will be the first time that a permanent display stand will be set in such a venue. Both Crofton manor stables and Gavfro Enterprises will benefit from this deal. It is hoped that when this proves a success other local businesses will be involved in similar innovative ventures. Gavfro Enterprises already have 5 craft fairs booked up for this spring and have attended 2 car boot sales already. Wherever they go, their products are well received and the quality of both their displays and products is continually commented upon. The enthusiasm of the team and their developing skills is now being commented upon not only by the local YE organizers but also by the directors of other firms and other YE areas. Gavfro intend to go a long way in this competition with their innovation and ability to make the most of any opportunities which they can find. With developing skills, growing confidence and spiralling self esteem, Gavfro directors believe that the sky is NOT the limit. What is to stop them becoming a thriving business? For more details please contact George Upton, Managing Director G a v f r o E n t e r p r i s e s o n gavfro@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk

Gavfro Enterprises, Henry Cort Community College’s own private company is having tremendous success as it continues to grow and develop. Set up by eleven Year 10 and 11 students in May 2010 and becoming part of Young Enterprise in September 2011, the college company continues to succeed in all that it does. The students are not only learning to run their own business but are also developing a multitude of business skills. Gavfro Enterprises are now going where no other British Young Enterprise company is managing to go. In January 2011, Gavfro Enterprises became the first Br i t ish Young Enterpr ise company to secure a deal with a European company, tying up a deal with another Young Enterprise company in Norway. Gavfro Enterprises entered a competition to write a business plan for their company. It was announced on 2

nd

February that Gavfro Enterprises had been named Joint winners of the YE SE Hampshire Business Plan competition. In November 2010, Gavfro Enterprises compiled a 16 page business plan outlining their vision for the company, their marketing strategy and their financial position. They explained fully how they had come into existence and raised their own finance for the company, not selling shares, something almost unique to Young Enterprise company programme. Gavfro Enterprises even came in during their half term break in October to compile the work that was needed for their submission. The judges commented on the

thoroughness of the Gavfro Enterprise business plan and the detail that they had gone into in preparing the report. They especially liked the section explaining how the company had raised its finances and decided on a product, listing the problems they had come across as well as the successes. This was the first year that Gavfro have entered this competition and to come joint first is a tremendous achievement against some schools who have entered teams for many years. Gavfro Enterprises now proceed further to write their company report ready for judging in March/May. Gavfro Enterprises have also entered the Young Enterprise Europe competition with the chance to go to Bratislava for 3 days and the skills factor competition run by ‘Young Chambers’ with the chance of winning lap tops and other prizes. In the 6 weeks before Christmas Gavfro traded at 6 craft fairs within Hampshire and also at Gosport market. They sold b e t w e e n £ 5 0 0 - 6 0 0 o f personalized badges, mirrors and key rings. Gavfro are now dealing with local companies, selling company badges and other products. In December Gavfro sold 200 to NATS Swanwick as part of the NATS Christmas fundraising. Gavfro have also sold badges to a firm of cleaners at Southampton University and Hampshire Angling Academy as well as a lot of smaller deals. Many other deals with local businesses are currently being negotiated. In January 2011 Gavfro Enterprises set up a deal with

Spotlight Page 4

bookshop on site and the event was supported by William Price Charitable Trust. About Ali Sparkes Ali was a local newspaper reporter and columnist before joining BBC Radio Solent as a producer and presenter. She was also a successful comedy columnist on Woman's Hour and later on Home Truths. Her first stand alone novel, Frozen in Time, won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2010 and her subsequent children's adventure, Wishful Thinking, is currently longlisted for the Carnegie Prize as well as shortlisted for the Portsmouth Children's Book Award. Ali visits schools and festivals all over the UK and is currently writing seven books between now and September, as well as ten coming out this year. Amongst her latest portfolio of titles is a short World Book Day book, a sp in o f f f rom her new S.W.I.T.C.H. series - BUG BATTLE - out on World Book Day in March. Her brand new series Unleashed will be launched in Spring this year, published by Oxford University Press. Find out more about Ali and her gripping books at www.alisparkes.com

Ali Sparkes, Winner of The Blue Peter Book Award 2010

visited Henry Cort! Award winning author, Ali Sparkes ran a unique writing workshop on Friday 11

th February

for 188 students. A tale of two cryogenically frozen children from the 1950s, brought back to life in 2009, won the 2010 Blue Peter book of the year award. Frozen in Time was written by Ali Sparkes, who previously worked on BBC Radio 4's Home Truths. This month Ali Sparkes launches her brand new book series S.W.I.T.C.H. (which stands for Serum Which Investigates Total Cellular Hijack). This new and lively range of books, published by Oxford University Press introduces two brothers, one serum, and a world of trouble. Titles include: Spider Stampede, Fly Frenzy, Grasshopper Glitch, Ant Attack, Crane Fly Crash and Beetle Blast. This new series is totally BUGTASTIC! Ali Sparkes joined the Year 7 students for assembly and spoke about her writing and aspirations before delivering her innovative writing workshops. Later during the day the students were involved in various activities related to Ali’s books including making animal masks influenced by the Shapeshifter portfolio of

books where a boy turns into a fox! In advance of Ali’s visit, the bright young sparks at The Henry Cort Community College were asked to finish off a story in less than 500 words. Nick Bold was crowned winner and Letitia McMullan was Runner Up. There were various prizes including a book voucher, some of Ali Sparke’s books and a special pen. After the prize giving, Ali Sparkes created an X-Factor style game where students were asked to judge a book by its title, back cover blurb and opening paragraph before having an opportunity to craft their own creative copy. Totally engaged in the exercise, the groups presented their work to the author and wowed her with their vivid descriptions and impressive characters. Author Ali Sparkes said, “A brilliant selection of stories and some cracking ideas.” Head of English, Richard Clark-Lyons remarked “We are delighted to welcome author Ali Sparkes today. It’s fabulous to see the youngsters interact with her and clearly benefit from her creative energy. Nothing captures their imagination more than a real author visiting the classroom.” The day was organised by Margaret Taylor, Librarian and she was supported by teaching staff. Colin Telford, bookseller from The Hayling Island bookshop set up a

Wildlife Walks in Lakeside North Harbour

Page 5 Spring Term, Issue 1

Our students are visiting Lakeside North Harbour this term as part of their studies for a new diploma in Environmental and Land-based studies. Following a guided tour and Q&A session with our wildlife expert, the students will be carrying out an assessment of the environmental impact of human activity on the landscape.

www.lakesidenorthharbour.com

One of the major attractions of 1000 Lakeside is its landscaped setting which is home to a wide range of wildlife, trees and plants.

Each Wednesday at 12.30, we provide free guided walks for occupiers interested in finding out

more about the wildlife and plants around the site. In addition a monthly newsletter, available on our website, gives updates on the birds, plants and animals to look out for, when you are walking by the lake. For more details visit t h e w e b s i t e o r em a i l lakesidewildlife@highcross.co.uk

Bugtastic author visit!

My role as Home College Link Worker is dedicated to supporting both prospective and current parents of students at Henry Cort. This may be by providing information, or signposting and links to other agencies. I am usually in college on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and can be contacted in person, by phone or email on sal@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk. Free school meal and uniform grant application forms are available in the college office. Uniform grants apply to parents whose children are in Year 9 and Year 10 at Henry Cort. The results of a free school meal application can be used to assess any entitlement. Drop in coffee mornings are held on the last Wednesday of each month. These are an opportunity to meet with other parents and me to discuss issues that are important to parents. Parents of Year 6 students who will be attending Henry Cort in September will be made very welcome. Sue Laney HCLW

Home College Link Worker

work and support given to the students to make sure that they make the right choices for a successful future.

Next Meeting – 30th March 2011.

Topics for Future Discussion

• Overview of English

• ICT, Mentoring process feedback

• Overview of languages and the use of ICT and the internet

• Training when new things are introduced eg VLE

• Strategic developments and directions – 3 yr plan

• How the economic climate affects the college

• School Council feedback

• Special Educational Needs Provision

• Academy

There is an offer from Paul Bristow to discuss sex and relationship education.

1. Apologies – from Mr Munday and Mr Fielon

2. Mr Gellett – Mr Gellett welcomed parents and introduced his role and responsibilities at Heny Cort. These include examinations, w o r k w i t h o u t s i d e organisations including those for the Fareham and Gosport Consortium, Line Management responsibility for PSHE, Technology, Business Studies and Daring House.

3. Mr Gellett gave a presentation a bou t t h e a l t e r n a t i v e educational provision that is available to students.

In excess of 100 students in year 10 and 11 are currently engaged in these alternative courses. ‘Personalisation’ gives students the opportunities to study and achieve success at their own level in an area that they are

interested in. Some students who may become disengaged with education work with Skill Force at the community centre one day a week. Skill Force is a charity with instructors from a military background who have skills to engage young people in a variety of areas successfully. Information was also given to parents about Diplomas, Young Apprenticeships, Extended Work Experience and the Skills Academy at Fareham College. Changes for 2011 including the demise of EMA and uncertainty of future funding for some provision currently available was shared with parents. Mr Gellett gave parents detailed information about the destination of Henry Cort students post 16 and explained the considerable

Parent Forum Update - 26 January 2011

What is a Parent Support Adviser (PSA)? A PSA is someone who offers support to any parent with a child attending any of the cluster schools with any issues that they are finding hard to deal with. Could you benefit from some support in any of the areas listed below?

• Behaviour management

• Attendance or Lateness to school

• Benefits & Housing Advice

• Self Esteem

• Support to access services in your community

• Signposting to other agencies.

• Family and Parenting Advice

• Referrals to other agencies

• Support with attending schools If you have answered YES to any of the points above why not give me a call, I may be able to help. If you feel there is something else you would like support with, or would like an informal chat please call Stella Pratt on 01329 843127 or 07748 631862, if I am not able to help then I will be able to sign post to another agency for support. Alternatively you can email emp@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk.

Parent Support Adviser

Spotlight Page 6

• Students to refrain from texting on mobile phones when walking to school

• Parents to be MORE AWARE of the daily congestion of both other vehicles and Students on foot.

• Adhere to SPEED LIMITS

• Parents are requested to consider dropping off their children a few or one street away in order to reduce congestion

• Students who reside very near to the schools to travel on foot and not to be taken in by vehicle

I would appreciate your help in this on going safety aspect of the Safer Route to school programme and would be happy to answer any questions of identified c on c e r n o r issues that you may have. PC Geoff MANGAN Safer Schools Officer

In the December Parents Forum meeting at the school a number of concerns / issues were raised about Students safety when travelling to school within the immediate area outside of the school (Henry Cort Way, Hillson Drive and Wynton Way) On the 24

th January I had

representative, Gary HEDGES from Hampshire County Council Safer Routes to Schoo l department attend the site to carry out a local Site Safety Review to identify any safety issues that were raised during the meeting and to establish if there were any improvements or changes that needed to be made. The Site Review was carried out from 0800 – 0830 hours. The conclusion of this site review by Mr HEDGES was as follows:

• Road markings were within safety requirements and the required markings were all in place.

• Road Traffic Signage is all in

place where required.

• Traffic congestion is of any normal flow of traffic within any school area.

• Evidenced speed of local traffic in the vicinity of the school was within legal limits.

• The points that were noted for possible rectification by local council were as follows.

• Street lighting be upgraded

• Road Markings be re covered

• Kerbs could be replaced where residents have driven over them when parking on their property

• The kerb from Hillson Drive over to Henry Cort Way correctly aligned.

• With current financial climate it may be difficult for Fareham Council to fund the above recommendations although I will be forwarding my report to them.

• I t was as sessed t ha t EDUCATION to both Students and parents would be a more constructive and immediate solution.

• Students to remove IPOD earphones or similar when walking to school

Safer Routes to School

think about, and anyway you want to do your best for yourself and for your house so we kept going to the very end. We didn’t come first but we were 3rd, 7

th and 9

th so we were really

pleased and especially when we found out that we had won the year 9 boys competition for the house. Well done to all Year 9 Victorious boys. Now Mr Hotchkiss where are our doughnuts???

Congratulations to Victorious Year 9 boys for coming first in the recent Cross-County competition. Ben, Matt and Aaron from VIM talk about their part in winning the event for Victorious: Cross-country is not our favourite event when it’s a cold, wet and windy day but once we were at the starting line and the adrenaline started pumping we began to feel competitive. All we needed then was to hear Mr Hotchkiss shouting out ‘There’ll

be doughnuts at the finishing line!’ to make us determined to do our best. The start of the race can be a chaotic with too many bodies jostling for a place but this has been improved with the new system of alternative routes. During the race which lasts over 2 kilometres there are times when we began to feel really knackered and wanted just to ease off and maybe walk to the finishing line, but we had those doughnuts to

Year 9 Boys are Victorious in Cross Country

SPORT NEWS….

Page 7 Spring Term, Issue 1

readiness. If any other Year 7 students feel that they would like to have a go, they need to come and see me at t raining af ter col lege on Tuesdays. Mrs Lansley

Congratulations to Liam Perella and Sam McSevich who have both qualified for the National Finals for the second year running. I n t h e Sou t he r n Z ona l Championships, Liam took 2

nd

place in the U15 Boys Elite section while Sam took 3

rd place

in the U15 Boys Novice.

Well done to these boys and Good Luck in the Nationals in March! Some of our Year 7 students will be experiencing their first taste of competitive trampolining at a new competition especially designed for beginners at the end of March. They have already started perfecting their routines in

Trampolining

and enjoy playing against county and gold standard players. Let’s remember that the other teams in the final had players that train and compete 3 times a week at a high level. Girls, you put Henry Cort on the map as a force to be reckoned with – 4

th in Hampshire, well done!!

Miss Chapman

On Wednesday 19th January, our

senior girls badminton team competed at the Hampshire Semi Final at Fleming Park Leisure Centre. After some great doubles and singles games, they came second and qualified for the Hampshire Finals tournament. J us t be f o r e t he f i na l s , unfortunately the well oiled team of Katie Frisby, Kim Puttock,

Isobel Wood and Charlotte Cameron faced a big setback – Katie was unable to play! The finals were held at Westgate School in Winchester and Jodie Brett stepped in dutifully and did a great job. Everyone pulled together – Isobel played singles, the team changed doubles partners and were a credit to Henry Cort. They were aware that the competition was very strong and decided to compete to the best of their ability

Senior Girls Badminton

SPORT NEWS continued….

and fitness levels of some (if not the majority) of our students has been astonishing and hopefully there experiences will go someway to developing an appreciation of activity within their minds. In an era where there are grave concerns about childhood weight levels, we are optimistic that the Henry Cort students are taking their fitness objectives to a new level. Well Done to everyone involved. The PE Dept.

Since returning after Xmas the focus of the PE Key Stage 3 Curriculum has been on Health and Fitness. From Week 1 students have been assessing their fitness levels through a combination of a series of fitness tests, and different methods of training including Circuit Training, Continuous Training, Interval training and everyone’s favourite -Cross-country (which included team runs , pa r tne r r uns and handicapped runs). The students have responded brilliantly to everything that had

been asked of them. The effort and determination shown has been first class and we couldn’t ask for anything more. The unit finished with a re-run of some of the fitness tests to gauge improvement and inter-house cross-country competitions. The overall results were: Year 7 Winners -Daring Year 8 Winners -Victorious Year 9 Winners - Triumph The overall Key Stage 3 winners were Invincible. The difference in the physique

PE Health & Fitness Unit

Spotlight Page 8

On the 11th February, 28 year 10

History students attend a ‘Hitler on Trial’ event at Fernham Hall. This was a fantastic event provided by School History Scene which is directly linked to the Germany 1918-39 unit that students study for their GCSE. The first part of the event saw students taking part in a exam busting workshop where they were shown the thinking behind the GCSE exam, and given practical advice on how to best

answer exam questions. This was delivered by renowned historian Josh Brooman who is the author of many of the books that we use n the history department. Following a short break, students then watched a dramatisation of the fictional trial of Adolf Hitler, which saw him charged with ‘Causing the Second World War’. Prosecution and defence counsels called a range of witnesses from Benito Mussolini to British PM Neville Chamberlain, all of whom

provided their take on the events leading up tot the Second World War. Following the evidence, students then had the opportunity to vote as to whether they thought Hitler was guilty or not. This was a superb event which has really helped students to focus on their upcoming exam. All students were a credit to the school and had a great time at the event. Miss McKay

Also on Tuesday 25th January

2011 the first Year 7/8 girls tag-rugby festival was held at the Gosport and Fareham rugby club. Being the first time this event had run I was anxious to the reception it would receive but 4 teams; Cams Hill, Portchester, Bay House and Crofton all turned up with full teams rearing to go. The competition was 7-a-side (with squads of 9 players) and

followed a round robin format with all teams playing against each other. It was freezing cold as it always is at the rugby club, however this did not affect the games, with fantastic rugby being played by all schools, with certain outstanding players shining through on both pitches. The final two fixtures were Cams Hill Vs Crofton and Bay House Vs Portchester. Cams went into the game with 6 points, Crofton just

4, however Crofton quickly pulled away finishing the game 35pts to 10, making the Crofton team the first ever team to receive the Year 7/8 Girls Tag Rugby shield. A big thank you to all schools that took part, the feedback from the event was very positive and next year we hope that more schools can attend.

be the winners. The final scores came in with Wicor crowned the winners followed by Uplands and then Red Barn. A big thank you goes out to all of the leaders at Cams who helped make the event run so smoothly and well done to all participants who took part.

On Tuesday 25th January 2011,

the Fareham cluster schools sportshall athletics final took place at Cams Hills School. 3 Schools attended; Red Barn, Uplands and Wicor primary. Each one of these teams had competed at a previous event and had been successful enough to make it through to the finals. The usual format for the Sportshall competition was followed, the event started with the girls and boys obstacle races with everyone watching, then moving on to both the track and field events running at the same time and finishing with the 4 x 1 lap relay. Everyone participated to a very high standard with a lot of

talented individuals shining through. Each school had brought between 16-30 Students and so a lot of excitement filled the room. From an early stage it seemed clear which school would be the winners, W icor dominated winning nearly every single race however the final scores were not too large a difference, with both Uplands and Red Barn fighting to

Fareham School Sport Partnership

Page 9 Spring Term, Issue 1

Hitler on Trial

Mark Saunders wrote the following article after attending the press conference Burglary @ Henry Cort “…….suspects named George Lucas, Lucy Blackman and Trevor Blackman broke into the College at 3.30am. According to the police the suspects were known to hot wire a stolen Saxo from Bournmouth and were seen on CCTV speeding passed. One suspect was a male wearing a black cap. Another suspect was wearing a blue shirt with blood on one side. An unidentified suspect was seen climbing over a school fence, and attempting to steal objects to sell for money. Police have found that George Lucas has an e–bay account, and is using that to secretly steal money from others. A Mr Francis is in contact with George Lucas. We feel that there are more burglaries to come.” During the day there were also press conferences with Lady Gaga, David Cameron, Jose Mourinho and Daniel Craig!! Some of our articles were based on research we had done previously f r om na t i o n a l a nd l o c a l newspapers, and from the BBC news sites. This is one of our favourites, it was written by Leanne Sargent. Burger Rage “Princess Diana’s niece, Lady Amelia Spencer, has been charged with assault over a Burger rage bust up at a drive through McDonald’s. The 18 year old daughter of Earl Spencer, is said to have “flipped” when a taxi cut in front of her black mini coupe in the fast food queue. The posh beauty allegedly left her car and beat the taxi in a rage, before hurling abuse at passenger Ricci Cini. Then a male pal of the heiress was said to have joined in and Mr Cini, who was on crutches from a football injury, suffered concussion when

Well done to the 45 students with 100% attendance during the Autumn Term, and to the joint winners of the highest tutor group attendance, VGB and VNS with 97%. Congratulations to all students who have achieved merit certificates this half term. Bronze 25 merits - VCF Jack Bottomley, VGA Danielle Walls, VGB Billie Jepson, VMC Max Huntington and Alannah Vardy, VWS Lucy Mace, Kelly Price and Nick Tennet. Silver 40 merits - VCF Nathan Greenwood now has 48 merits, and VWS Kaleb Thompson who currently has the most merits in Victorious. Well done to Sabrina Houlden yr 10, who has recently received her Food Hygiene Certificate. Focus on VHJ Keiran Perella yr 11 - I have played for the Solent and Gosport Ice Hockey Team for some time, and this season has been the best so far. Our Team have won the last seven matches. With my brother Liam, and two other players, I am in the top ten for scoring points in the season. Points are given for scoring or assisting to score a goal. We are the only Team in the league to have four players in the top ten. Our team is currently ranked 3

rd

of 8. I have travelled all over England for matches. One of my most memorable games has to be the last game I played, which was against Cardiff. I scored a hat trick and our Team won 11 : 1. In the future I hope to continue to play, my ambition is to be accepted into the team representing the UK. Sophie Baldwin has recently

moved up to the gold section in her swimming training group. Jade Barnes has joined the adult league in netball, and has come 4

th

in the under 16’s League. Jenny Lewis has been working hard on her dancing, and has joined a local dance school. Gareth Osborne : yr 11. I have recently become a qualified Chef, gaining my NVQ Level 2, which I have been studying at Fareham Co l l ege . I am qu i te an experimental cook, and I like to combine ingredients in unusual ways. The chef I gain most inspiration from is Heston Bloomenthal. One of the strangest combinations I have tried was mash with mayonnaise and Marmite! I thought it tasted ok, but most of the other students in the group disagreed! My favourite dish to cook is Lasagne. I intend to continue studying for my GNVQ Level 3 qualification, and then join the Army in the catering corps. Reflections on Day 10 Task : to make a tutor group newspaper. Creating our newspaper as a tutor group was a great success. Everyone was kept busy throughout the day with different jobs which were assigned by the Editor and the Sub Editor. Mark Saunders, Olley Pour and David Price were our group’s reporters, and using the information they collected, we wrote some exciting reports on the events of the day. The snake discovered in the Sports Hall was really a large stuffed snake, and the stolen items found in the dining area made us think about what it would be like if a similar incident really happened. PC Geoff showed us the items which had been recovered, and set up a crime scene, simulating making phone calls to the Station as the evidence was investigated.

Victorious House News

Spotlight Page 10

social worker. Understandably, for many of the families involved, finding a carer that will offer the same quality of care and nurturing for their child is their biggest concern. Having direct contact helps build the trust and confidence that is important to help the family who usually care for the child get as much benefit from the break as the child.

Of course, we still need full time foster carers too, and at the moment have a particular need for foster carers to look after teenagers across Hampshire.

If you’re interested in either full time fostering or offering Short Breaks care, please get in touch by calling either 0845 6035620 or visit http://www3.hants.gov.uk/ch i l d rens -se r v i ces / f am i l i es /fostering.htm

If you can’t commit to being a full time foster carer, you can now foster part time with our Short Breaks scheme which supports children with disabilities.

Short breaks has the intended ring of a bit of a holiday as its objective is to offer children short breaks away from their main carers, have a chance to try different activities, meet new people and gain a different perspective on life - in a safe and secure environment. Short breaks carers play a really important role in helping both children who do not need to be fostered full time, and their families.

Short Breaks Family Link carers are linked to families of children with complex needs, such as a disability or medical condition, to

provide regular, planned care for a child. As every family is different, the commitment that is expected will vary, - for example a regular weekend a month or any other commitment that you can make - for example a few days during a school holiday.

Mike and Jo regularly care for a child with disabilities through the Family Link scheme. “At the moment we have been looking after a boy for four years,” Mike explained. “It makes us both feel that we are helping give the child a caring, loving and secure family environment while at the same time providing much needed respite for their parents.”

Family Link carers work directly with the families that need their help, with support, advice and resources from a supporting

Part-time Short Breaks Carers Needed….

Daring House News Victorious continued...

he was knocked to the ground…..” We kept our newspaper as real as possible, including an agony aunt column, sports news, games and reports from the “celebrity” press conferences. In the afternoon our newspapers were submitted for judging. VBW won for Victorious, and they came 2nd in the judging between the

Houses. Well done to them. We called our newspaper “The Chomp”, and at the end of the day it is something that we as a tutor group are really proud of.

Page 11 Spring Term, Issue 1

After the Christmas festivities, we are enjoying the start of a new year in the House of Daring. Our Christmas activities included a number of quizzes, games and some creative handiwork with icing and cookies! Every student in Daring was given a cookie and some writing icing and given the task of designing and decorating their very own Christmas bauble (aka cookie!). During our Christmas meal, we held a raffle in aid of “Help for Heroes”. We had a huge number of prizes donated from students, parents , s taf f and loca l businesses. The atmosphere at the end of the meal was great and I would like to thank DWG for organising and running the raffle. Over £130 was raised on the day, well done! This term, we are looking to launch our House website. The Student Voice representatives

have been set the task of discussing possible website sections that could be produced with their tutor groups. After half term, the Student Voice group will meet and begin to construct the website and collate photos, articles and tutor group profiles. We also now have our own House logo, which was designed by students in DME. Look out for this on our new website pages! In PE lessons, students have been competing in some Inter House Cross Country races. Well done to the Year 7 and Year 8 girls, who came first in their team event! A number of students have now been awarded Bronze certificates for achieving 25 merits, some are even working towards Silver certificates. Keep up the good work team! Have a good half term break.

The Henry Cort Community College

Parents’ Drop-in Coffee Mornings 9.30 – 10.45am in the Cort Room

Forthcoming Dates

Wednesday 30 March 2011, Wednesday 27 April 2011, Wednesday 25 May 2011

Thursday 30 June 2011, Wednesday 20 July 2011

This is an opportunity to meet with other parents and me to discuss issues that are important to you as parents. I look forward to meeting you.

Sue Laney, Henry Cort Home College Link Worker:

Telephone: 01329 843127 or E-mail: sal@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk

Contact Gavfro at Gavfro@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk or visit gavfroenterprises.webs.com

Gavfro Enterprises now produce:

Personalised

Products

Innovation with Inspiration

Daring to be different

Mirrors

Badges

Key

Rings

Fridge

Magnets

Key Rings

with Bottle

Openers

New for 2011 - ‘Badge Parties’

At £25 for 1 hour (10 children) we supply instructors and equipment for every child to

design and produce their own badge!

‘Gavfro produce a range of standard

commercial ‘art’ designs at affordable prices’

Gavfro Enterprises can personalise and produce any design that you want. We produce designs for individuals, companies and businesses. Any design

can be put onto any of our products.

Spotlight Page 12

Spring Term Primary - After School Activities

for Years 3-6

Starting Monday 28 February 2011

4.00pm-5.00pm

£2 per session

At Henry Cort Community College

All activities that are not coached will be play/practice sessions

Monday Family Racket Skills - coaching Family Tennis

Tuesday Girls/Boys Football

Wednesday Sports Hall Athletics

Thursday Tag Rugby - coaching Kwik Cricket

Friday Family Table Tennis - coaching Netball - coaching

NETBALL

NEW SESSION STARTING

Henry Cort Community College

Friday 4TH February 2011

6.00PM – 7.00PM

Age 16- Adults

£2 Session - Sessions will run for 10 weeks

ALL ABILITIES WELCOME

For more information or to book please for contact: 01329 843127 or email rcb@henry-cort.hants.sch.uk

Fareham School Partnership

many opportunities to spend time with their children as they might

like. They are also looking for men

who are perhaps not yet fathers but are considering the idea, or

those who are about to become dads for the first time.

They would love to hear from any

parents who might like their family to benefit from this chance to

learn new skills, build confidence, and help them to illustrate the

important role that men can play

in raising children.

If you would like to find out

more about taking part in the

series, then please call Emma Hayes at Love Productions on

0207 067 4877 or contact me via

emma.hayes@loveproductions

.co.uk

Men in Childcare - Channel 4 Production

Love Productions is an award-winning independent television

production company. They are

looking for men to take part in an important new documentary

series for Channel 4 about men in childcare, and are looking to see

whether your family might be interested in taking part.

The series aims to highlight the

important role that men can play in raising children, and to show

that child care is both a tough job

and a very rewarding one.

Their research is underpinned by

the statistics that not only do

men make up just 2% of our child care work force (source:

National Day Care Trust) but at home they carry out only half as

much child care as women (source: OECD), and nearly 1 in 4

children are now growing up in a

single-parent household and 85% without Fathers.

In order to show how positive changes could be made, they are

inviting four men to look after

babies and children in a real-life London nursery under the careful

supervision of the existing nursery staff, for three weeks

time. In giving men the opportunity to look after children

full- time, this series hopes to

empower a nation of men to be more hands-on with their

children, and perhaps inspire more men to consider childcare

as a profession.

They are hoping to hear from a broad range of families to make

the series a success. They are looking for men who wish they

were more involved with their

own children; perhaps they have a demanding job which doesn’t

allow them the time, or they’ve separated from the mother of

their child and don’t have as

Page 13 Spring Term, Issue 1

Events Calendar

28 February: Start of Term – Week B Year 11 Catering Practicals Begin 1 March: Year 10 & 11 Maths Module Exam 2 March: Year 10 & 11 Science Exam 3 March: Year 9 Subject Consultation Meetings 3.30 Friday 4 March: College Closed - CPD Day 23 March: Year 8 Course Choice Meeting 6.30 24 March: BBC News School Report Day Saturday 26 March: Year 5&6 Workshops 9.15-12.20 28-31 March: Orchestra Tour of Junior Schools 30 March: Parent Drop In Coffee Morning 9.30-10.45 Parent Forum 7.30pm 31 March: Year 8 Subject Consultation Meetings 3.30 Friday 1 April: College Closed - CPD Day 6 April: Piano Recital in Cort Theatre 7.00pm 7 April: Year 10 Subject Consultation Meetings 3.30 11-25 April: Easter Holidays Tuesday 26 April: Start of Term - Week B 27 April: Parent Drop In Coffee Morning 9.45-10.45 Friday 29 April: College Closed - Public Holiday Monday 2 May: College Closed - Bank Holiday 4 May: Year 8 Final HPV Jabs Saturday 7 May: Year 5&6 Workshops 9.15-12.20 9 May: Year 9 Visit to Westminster & Mark Hoban 10 May: Whiteley Parish Assembly 6.30pm

13 May: Early College Closure for Mentoring 11.25 Saturday 14 May: Year 6/Parents Workshops 19 May: Year 10 GCSE Performance Evening in Cort Theatre 4.00 25 May: Parent Drop In Coffee Morning 9.30-10.45 Parent Forum 7.30pm 27 May: Early College Closure for Mentoring 11.25 30 May –3June: Half Term Monday 6 June - Start of Term - Week A