WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - 12th November 2018 N°8

School Attendance

School attendance is very important and over the past few weeks, we have been illustrating to families the impact of absence on a students overall attendance. The Government benchmark for persistent absence is 90% which equates to four full weeks missed from school each year. Every day at school is important and it is detrimental to the long term success of the student, if they experience absences from school. Please may I remind all parents that holidays in term time are not permitted unless there is a very serious extraordinary circumstance.

Thank you for working with the school to improve attendance.

Target for Whole school attendance is 98% .

This week whole school attendance is 95.7

Year 7 - 97.3%

Year 8 - 95.8%

Year 9 - 95.5%

Year 10 - 94.8%

Year 11 - 95.1%

Every day of absence is 5 hours of missed learning and so creates additional work for students to catch up with. Please contact the attendance officer Mrs C Scaife on ext. 127 or a Director of Year to discuss any concerns on attendance or catching up on missed work.

Year 7 - Ms S Lawton- ext. 107

Year 8 - Ms E Jarosz - ext. 108

Year 9 - Mr R Tracey - ext. 109

Year 10 - Mr K Beck - ext. 110

Year 11 - Mr S Green- ext. 111

Dear Parent/Guardian

Thank you to all the parents and guardians of Year 7 students who participated so enthusiastically in the Year 7 Bake Off events during the Inspire mornings. I was delighted to see such wonderful creations from our students.

This week Year 7 and 8 students have an opportunity to experience Chapel lessons with their Religious Education teachers and we also welcome Year 5 students from St Josephs Castleford as they experience a day of recollection with our Chaplain and Year 5 teacher. The day culminating with the celebration of Mass in the Chapel.

Thursday this week, is the Sixth Form Open Evening which commences at 6.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity for students and families to explore the unique sixth form provision that St Wilfrid’s offers. We pride ourselves at St Wilfrid’s in the unique offer we have for students. Each student is supported through their academic study and further progressional routes. The academic rigor from highly qualified subject specialists and the wider pastoral support, coaching and mentoring we offer forms an integral aspect of our unique provision which is not replicated elsewhere. We look forward to welcoming you and your family on Thursday evening.

ADMISSION CONSULTATION 2020/2021 Consultation with regard to a proposed change to the Admission Policy for St Wilfrid’s Catholic High School for the academic year 2020/2021. Please follow the link to our website: Click Here

- Draft proposed policy; - Document which identifies Eastern Orthodox Churches; - Document reflecting the proposed changes within the Supplementary Information Form for admission to a Voluntary Aided Catholic School.

During the consultation period all feedback correspondence should be sent to the following contact address: admissionconsultation@st-wilfrids.bkcat.co.uk

At the close of the consultation period, the Academy Admissions Committee will meet to consider all correspondence received during the consultation. The determined policy will be placed on the school website by 28th February 2019.

Thank you for your time and due consideration of this consultation process.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Helen Gilroy

Headteacher B.A.(Hons) P.G.C.E. NPQH

Chaplaincy News

Revelation Timetable

Day/time Activity Where?

Monday Break

Rosary Group

The Chapel

Come and pray a scriptural decade of the Rosary for your own intentions and the intentions of our school and parish community. Everyone welcome

Tuesday Break

Student

Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy

Have a say in the Catholic Life of our school, your opinion matters! Everyone welcome.

Wednesday 8.15 – 8.40am

Adoration The Chapel Spend a few minutes in silence in the true presence of Christ. Everyone welcome

Wednesday Break

Lourdes Preparation

Meeting

Chaplaincy Beginning after half term all those taking part in the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes meet

together.

Thursday Break Week 1

Youth SVP Chaplaincy For years 7 & 8, Do you want to make a difference to our local and worldwide community? Come along to our meetings to see what we can do to support the elderly, the homeless and other vulnerable communities.

Thursday Break Week 2

SVP B-Attitude Chaplaincy For Years 9 -13, Do you want to make a difference to our local and worldwide community? Come along to our meetings to see what we can do to support the elderly, the homeless and other vulnerable communities.

Friday 8.15am Mass Chapel Come and take part in Holy Mass celebrated by one of our deanery priests.

If you would like to attend Revelation letters are available from Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy News

On Friday a group of students joined Featherstone community at the Cenotaph to pay respects in the Remembrance Parade. We then went on to pay respect to the fallen of Featherstone at the War horse memorial. As always our students were a credit to our school and their parents.

Mr Barraclough is a member of the Bart team here at St. Wilfrid’s, he was asked to be part of the parade as a former member of the Parachute Regiment. The students were incredibly proud of Mr Barraclough and it made the service all the more meaningful for them.

Private Barraclough was posted to B Company. the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (1 PARA). He went on Operation Banner when 1 PARA were posted to Palace Barracks Belfast Northern Ireland at the beginning of 1991. On the battalion's return to Aldershot in June 1993, Pte Barraclough joined the Mortar Platoon in Support Company.

In July 1994 Pte Barraclough had a serious parachuting accident while on exercise on Salisbury Plain. He shattered his back and shoulder and after having an operation to reconstruct his shoulder and back, he returned to his battalion. In late 1995 Pte Barraclough and a fellow soldier encountered a road traffic accident on Queens Avenue Aldershot. First on the scene they administrated first-aid and with the help of others began emergency procedures, some believe it saved the life of a 2 PARA chef, who was the casually. He later received the GOC 3 UK Div Commendation in recognition for his actions, which was presented by the Secretary Of State Michael Portillo.

Despite his injuries Pte Barraclough did complete another tour of Northern Ireland in Dungannon East Tyrone for six months. This time it was not patrolling the rural countryside but working as the battalions post orderly and he also ran the PRI shop. For his hard work he was awarded the 1 PARA’s Peter Goss Trophy in 1996 and Tie of Merit in 1997.

Darren left the army after 12 years’ service in 2000.

Sporting News

Fixtures

Word Millionaires

Erim Thorpe 8C and Ellie-May Rayner 8N have become the latest Word Millionaires.

Congratulations and well done to the both of you.

Ski Trip

Parents are invited to attend an information meeting on Thursday 22nd November in Bruynseels Hall at 6:15pm. Students have received a letter in school detailing the documents that need to be handed in on the night.

GCSE Polo Tops

If you ordered a polo top before the half term holidays they are now ready to collect from the school shop. Anyone wishing to place an order can collect an order form from the PE department and the deadline for the next order is Friday 23rd November.

Headteacher Rewards

Each week students are selected and invited to join the headteacher for breakfast on Friday mornings.

Last week the following students from Year 8 were selected. Taliya Passmore, Libby Woofendin, Emily New, Abigail Wheater, Aaron Japitana, Teigan Green, Chloe Cooper, Ben Daly-Hartshorne, Abbey Hayles, Daisy Pryah, Sophie Hockney, Finley Hubbard, Kayleigh Devonport, Abigail Reynolds, Oliver Luk, Daniel Khoury, Keira Berry, James Lowe and Lily Spittle.

Year 7 Students to participate in this Friday’s breakfast. Kelly Xie, Thomas Lavery, Lauren Blanchard, Lyla berridge, Jocelyn Deary, Molly Jasper, Ella Shillabeer, Violet Elago, Elizabeth Murphy, Damian Lipinski, Elisabeth Fake, Brooke Cos, Sophie Hyde, Jai Rana, Freya Spears, Isabelle Tinker, Joshua Lees, Fiona Milligan and Krisha Ahir.

Geography News

Sixth form geography students took part in an excellent revision day in London. We took the train down to Westminster and the students heard a range of talks by speakers from different universities across the country. Students were inspired by talks on international migration, gypsum Crystal caves in Mexico and even from Jason Lewis, the first person to circumnavigate the Earth using human-power!

The students were fantastic role models for the school and their geographical knowledge and understanding has already benefited from these thought-provoking lectures.

Girls

Date Tues 13th Nov

Year group Y7

Sport Netball

Member of staff KDE

Where it is St Wilfrids

KO time (approx.) 3:30pm

Boys

Date Tuesday 13th Nov Wednesday 14th Nov

Year group Y7 Y9 & 11

Sport Rugby Football

Member of staff IMC RTR

Where it is St Wilfrid's Castleford

KO time (approx.) 3:30pm 3:30pm

Bake Off

A massive thankyou to year 7 and students and their families for taking part in the Great St Wilfrid’s Bake Off. It was a joy to see the students working with classmates new and old into his event. Special thanks to family members who took time out of their day to come and support.

We hope the muffins tasted as good they looked

Christmas Card Competition

Year 7 and 8 have been invited to design the Christmas card that school will send out this year. Entries must be handed in to form tutors no later than registration on 22nd November.

St Wilfrid’s Catholic High School

Online Safety Newsletter: November 2018

40,000 pupils (aged 7 – 16 from 480 schools) took part in this year's LGfL DigiSafe pupil online-safety survey about their online

lives which concluded in a new report, 'Hopes & Streams'. The results found that an impressive 73% of children trust their

parents on online safety but only half of parents talk about online safety with them more than once a year. Worryingly, 2 in 5

pupils have never told anyone about the worst thing that has happened to them online.

It’s important to talk about our children’s online life with them on a regular basis. Go online with them and look at apps together,

look at the many positives of being online but if there is anything that you see that you are uncomfortable with them doing online

then explain to them why. If your child is on social media then show them how to use the privacy settings, reporting functions

and how to block people. Also, make sure your child understands that if they ever have any concerns online they can talk to you

about them.

The report also found that nearly 1 in 3 pupils find it difficult to stop using their devices to have a break probably due to the

addictive and immersive nature of some games and social media. This is why it is important to set rules that are agreed by all

the family in order to balance screen time with other activities as well as set device free times (e.g. meal times). Ensure your

children are:

seeing friends in ‘real life’ and spending time with family

no devices 1 hour before bedtime

going to sleep at a suitable time (and devices should not be kept in their bedroom)

getting outside/physical activity

keeping up with school work/homework

You can read the full report here: https://www.lgfl.net/online-safety/

hopesandstreams

Online Safety Survey findings

GroupMe

This is a group messaging app developed by

Skype. Parents should be aware that this app

includes GIFs (animated images) that may not

be suitable for younger teenagers. For a full

review of this app, visit Common Sense Media:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-

reviews/groupme

Games currently being

played…

H1Z1

This game has been rated

16+ by PEGI: This game has

been rated PEGI 16 due to

frequent moderate violence

towards human characters

and encouragement of drug

use. Not suitable for persons

below 16 years of age.

This is another Battle Royale

style game available on PS4.

It’s an online multiplayer

game, in which a group of

students are forced to fight to

the death. 100 players are

dropped on to the island and

they then try to kill each other

until they are the only re-

maining player.

This is another game that

can become addictive and

you need to be aware that

due to the live chat,

inappropriate or offensive

language may be heard.

Safety tip

When gaming, usernames

can be seen by other players

so teach your children that

user names need to be non-

identifying too so don’t in-

clude your age, year of birth,

full name, location etc.

Child on social media?

If your child is on social media, how old were they when they signed up? If your child is 10 when they join Facebook (for example), they have to say they’re 13 to be allowed to join. This means when they turn 15, their Facebook account will actually state they are 18 so not only could they see advertising only suitable for adults, others may approach them knowing they are younger than 18 (from their photograph) and try to establish a relationship with them on the basis that they claim to be 18. Ask your children to check their age to make sure it is their current age.

Do you overshare?

The Lost Summer

This is an educational video game

designed for 11-14 year olds to build

digital intelligence skills and encour-

age online safety. Play online:

https://esafety.gov.au/education-

resources/classroom-resources/lost-

summer

Kik

The BBC have recently reported

that this chat app has been

'involved in 1,100 child abuse

cases'. You must be at least 17

years old to download this appli-

cation. Full story here: https://

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-

45568276

Just as in real life, we need to show by example how our children should

behave online and set clear expectations. You need to be their role model.

Are you guilty of oversharing/not thinking before you post? If you do post

online, try following these basic rules:

Don’t post any photos of your child that show their school logo or

recognisable places by where they live that can make it easy for

people to find out their location.

Never include your child’s full name.

Are there any other children in the pictures you share online? If

yes, do you have permission from their parent/carer to upload it?

Would your child be happy for your comment/photo about them to

be online – remember what might be ‘cute’ now may be

embarrassing to them in the future.

Make sure your privacy settings are on.

Don’t overshare! If you share everything or private information

online then will your child want to chat to you about things that are

concerning them as they may worry that it will be posted online?

The 12th

November denotes the start of Anti-Bullying week. Students across the region

will be given inputs on the devastating effects bullying can have. St. Wilfrid’s BK Catholic

Academy, in partnership with West Yorkshire Police, have a zero tolerance to any form of

bullying or hate crime when they become aware of it, in or out of school.

Bullying is a persistent series of repeated acts of offensive, intimidating or insulting

behaviour, which may be physical or emotional, intended to undermine or destroy another

person’s self-confidence, reputation, ability to cope and cause stress and anxiety which

can lead to serious illness. It’s about an abuse of power, and bullies tend to pick on

someone’s weakness to gain power over them.

This is why the more vulnerable youngsters or those with some form of obvious difference,

are more likely to become victims.

It’s an unfortunate fact that many young people in our area wake up every day with the

fear that they will be bullied, often manifesting in “fake” illnesses to prevent them from

going to school.

Please also be vigilant about your child’s on-line activities, as unfortunately, old-school

bullying has jumped to the next level with the invention of the internet and the very

powerful Cyber bullying. This is the fastest growing means of humiliating and

intimidating victims, as the bullies believe they can remain anonymous. This is NOT the

case, as every time that “send“ button is pressed, it can be traced. Please check your

children’s devices on a regular basis for any inappropriate usage.

HATE CRIME is an extension of bullying, as the harm is intended specifically to

individuals because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, sexual identity,

their families or communities. The Government are launching a new public awareness

campaign around hate crime to raise awareness and understanding. People generally

think of hate crime as physical violence aimed at a particular race or religion, but in

today’s society, it is much more far reaching, and includes crimes such as on-line

bullying, verbal abuse and crimes committed against people purely for their sexual

orientation, transgender identity and disabilities, which can all be prosecuted for.

More information on hate crime can be found on a new page in the www.gov.uk website.

Please be assured that St.Wilfrid’s BK Catholic academy and myself, will tackle any

incidents of bullying or hate crime head on, and that the school is a safe and caring

environment for your children.

PC 794 Ali Kendrick

Safer Schools Officer

Safeguarding Update

DOMESTIC ABUSE

Key statistics about domestic abuse in England and Wales

Each year nearly 2 million people in the UK suffer some form of domestic abuse - 1.3 million female victims (8.2% of the population) and

600,000 male victims (4%)

Each year more than 100,000 people in the UK are at high and imminent risk of being murdered or seriously injured as a result of domestic

abuse

Women are much more likely than men to be the victims of high risk or severe domestic abuse: 95% of those going to Marac or accessing an

Idva service are women

In 2013-14 the police recorded 887,000 domestic abuse incidents in England and Wales

Seven women a month are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales

130,000 children live in homes where there is high-risk domestic abuse

62% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator of the abuse, in addition to the harm caused by witnessing

the abuse of others

On average victims at high risk of serious harm or murder live with domestic abuse for 2-3 years before getting help

85% of victims sought help five times on average from professionals in the year before they got effective help to stop the abuse

Domestic violence has a devastating impact on children and young people that can last into adulthood.

Domestic abuse services offer specialist emotional and practical support for children

and young people affected by domestic abuse.

One in seven (14.2%) children and young people under the age of 18 will have lived with domestic violence at some point in their childhood.

(Radford et al, 2011)

61.7% of women in refuge on the Day to Count 2017 had children (aged under 18) with them. (Women’s Aid, 2018 – data from Women’s Aid

Annual Survey 2017)

Between January 2005 and August 2015, 19 children and two women were killed by perpetrators of domestic abuse in circumstances relating

to child contact (Women’s Aid, 2016) The above facts and information has been taken from safe lives ending domestic abuse www.safelives.org.uk/ Everyone has the right to live without violence, intimidation and fear. What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse or violence is any abuse that happens in a family or in a personal relationship. It can also happen when the relationship has

ended. It may be that you don’t live with the person abusing you – if abuse is happening within your personal, intimate relationship this is

domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse is not just about violence; it can involve many different types of behaviour such as but not limited to:

Physical abuse: hitting, kicking, pulling hair; anything that hurts or makes you feel afraid.

Emotional abuse: Constant criticism, blaming, threats, putting you down in front of others.

Sexual abuse: Rape, doing or saying things of a sexual nature that makes you feel uncomfortable. Refusing to practice safe sex or controlling

contraception is also abuse.

Financial abuse: Stealing money from you, running debts up in your name, not allowing you access to your money.

Control and manipulation: Tracking your movements, telling you where you can go, and who you can see, keeping you isolated from friends and

family. Checks or controls use of social media. Control and manipulation may also include your children.

Forced marriage: Being forced to marry someone you do not choose is domestic abuse.

‘Honour’ based abuse: Someone in your family is abusing you and defending their actions because of ‘honour’ this is domestic abuse.

Female Genital Mutilation: This is the damage of, removal or partial removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Where to get help:

Do what feels right for you.

In an emergency please call the police on 999.

For non-emergencies call the police on 101

The below link will take you to a new app that can be downloaded for free (for mobile devices) which will offer domestic violence and abuse

support:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bright-sky/id1105880511?mt=8

National Domestic Violence Helpline for women 0808 2000 247

www.womansaid.org.uk

www.refuge.org.uk

Wakefield Domestic Abuse Service 0800 915 1561

www.wakefield.gov.uk/domesticabuse

Men’s advice Line – for men who are victims of domestic abuse 0800 8010327

www.mensadviceline.org.uk

Useful actions to take:

Tell someone you trust about the abuse – a friend, family member, teacher.

Tell your doctor so there is a record of the abuse

Talk to family members and friends about staying with them in an emergency

Think about escape routes to make sure both you and your children can flee in an emergency, collect important documentation.

Pack an emergency bag – clothing, medication, money, keys important documents

Contact a solicitor for any legal advice.

There is life after domestic abuse. You do not need to live in fear!

Please contact our designated safeguarding department if you have any concerns:

Mrs H Murphy : 01977 691000 ext 204

Mrs M James : 01977 691000 ext 265

Mrs S Gummerson : 01977 691000 ext 150

Group

Staff When? Where?

Keyboard Club

Mr Clarke Every break time N1P

Music Tech Club

Mr Todd Tuesday break time N1Q

After school Club/

GCSE catch up

Mr Clarke Tuesday after school N1P

Glee Club

Mr McCarthy-Bell Wednesday break time N1O

Liturgy Choir/

Cantors

Mr McCarthy-Bell Thursday break time N1M

Liturgy Band/ Mr Clarke Thursday break time N1O

BK Youth Choir Miss Kitson Thursday after school N1O

Production Band Mr McCarthy-Bell Friday after school N1O

If you are interested in joining any of these, or would like to set your own

club/band up, speak to Mr Clarke or Mr McCarthy-Bell!

Extra-Curricular Music at St Wilfrid’s

@SWSixthForm

St. Wilfrid’s Sixth Form Newsletter

Week: 12th November

Thought of the Week:

“The individual who says it’s not possible, should move out of the

way of those doing it” Tricia Cunningham

Message from the Head of Sixth Form

I would like to personally extend my thanks to all sixth formers for their conduct, sharp dress sense and for creating a

fabulous atmosphere during our St Wilfrid’s Day celebrations. I was delighted with our community, the shared sense of

belonging and our love for St. Wilfrid on the day. You did us proud. Highlights of my day include a heartfelt ‘Hail to St

Wilfrid’ in Mass and the impromptu conga during our afternoon celebrations. What a special community! Thanks to the

Sixth Form Leadership Team for working so hard on the afternoon.

Our Open Evening is soon – so please spread the word about the awesome community at St Wilfrid’s. We would hate to

think that young people would consider to go to another college, thinking that size is everything!

Now back on with the hard work and study. Year 13 mocks are around the corner. Remember, this is an opportunity to

show progress since the last mocks at the end of Year 12. If you were disappointed with the outcomes of these mocks, then

now is your chance to ensure thorough preparation and do your very best. They really do help tutors to determine the key

skills and content which needs to be worked on towards the end of the Year 13 courses.

For Year 12, you should be well-settled in your courses and working hard – your Year 12 mocks will come around soon

enough. Please make sure that you are investigating work experience options and ensuring that the Progression Module is

also coming along – your tutor will remind you of the specific deadlines here.

This is a very busy term, with plenty of opportunities to get involved with different activities. Check the forthcoming events

section – don’t miss out on opportunities to help enrich your overall experience and support your UCAS applications.

Open Evening is next week, on the 15th November, with a talk beginning at 1830 in the Sports Hall. If you are a prospective

student, we would love you to come. It is so important to be well-informed about your next, exciting step. Coming to the

Open Evening will help you see how much support there is on offer at St Wilfrid’s, the fact that we know and work with

every student to achieve their best and the fantastic community spirit of the Sixth Form. We would love to see you there.

Warm regards,

Andrew Lewis

Director of Sixth Form

Forthcoming Events (not to be missed)!

Monday 5th November GCSE Maths and English resits (until the 12th November)

Tuesday 6th November Year 12 students Health and Social First Aid Training

Tuesday 6th November Year 13 Senior Maths Challenge

Friday 9th November Remembrance Service, Featherstone Town Centre

Monday 12th November Year 13 mock exams begin

Monday 12th November National Parliament Week

Tuesday 13th November Year 13 Finance Talk (Theatre)

Wednesday 14th November Assembly at St Thomas a Beckets

Thursday 15th November Sixth Form Open Evening

Thursday 22nd November Progression Module Graduation

Theme of the Week:

In remembrance of

those who have died

@SWSixthForm

Year 12 Updates From Mr

O’Rourke: I hope that year 12 had an enjoyable

and restful half term and are now

ready for a push up to Christmas.

This term we will be reviewing

progress in Subject areas with data

imminent for most subjects and an

overall review of the Progression

Module so far. Students need to

start organising their work

experience for July and confirming

what they are doing. This cannot be

left until the last minute as checks

need to be done on the place they

will be going. Next Friday we will be

receiving our first set of interim

grades which will also be shared

home with parents and reviewed by

form tutors.

B. O’Rourke

Year 13 Updates From Miss Smith: Mock exams are looming for Y13 and students should have a revision

timetable planned out for the next few weeks. If any students are

struggling to organise this then they can seek advice from their form tutor,

subject teachers or head of year to assist them with their planning.

UCAS applications need completing as soon as possible. Many universities

are already interviewing and issuing offers and we want St Wilfrid’s

students to be at the top of these lists!

Another reminder to look into “Access to Leeds” criteria to see if you are eligible for a reduced grades offer from Leeds University as part of their Widening Participation scheme. More info available here : https://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/128005/applying/33/alternative_admissions/2

Representatives from Leeds University will be in school on Wednesday

28th November (12:40-1:40pm) to deliver a Medical Ethics workshop to

our prospective Medicine applicants.

And finally, thank you to all Y13 students for the effort they went to for St

Wilfrid’s day. Many staff commented on how the year group had done the

school proud with their appearance and behaviour on the day. In the

afternoon the sense of community and atmosphere in the 6th form area

was fantastic to see, with some very enthusiastic performances on the

karaoke as well. Rumour has it Simon Cowell is interested in some of the

talent that was on show that day…

C. Smith

Year 12 Geography Update

Year 12 geographers had a productive and enjoyable day at Newmillerdam last

week. They spent the morning walking around the woods and taking

measurements to calculate the volume of the trees in the area. They then used

these calculations to work out how much carbon is stored in the trees and the

woods in total. The students worked incredibly hard and have gained valuable

fieldwork experience, as well as a deeper understanding of the Carbon Cycle topic

of their A Level.

@SWSixthForm

“Geography gives you so many skills that are relatable to other subjects and real life”

Kristian – Year 13

“It allows you to think more in depth and criti-cally about situations that are going on in the world we live in”

Olivia Year 13

“Geography is superbly complimentary – it has mathematical elements, uses English skills, scientific and factual points and stud-ies about people and hu-manities. It goes with eve-rything!”

Claudia Year 13

Student of the Week is Emily Tang – for her excellent organisation

and commitment to her studies so far

Best Form attendance: 12 Fisher – 97.12%

Overall Attendance for Year 12: 93.18%

Overall Attendance for Year 13: 92.23%

Subject in Profile: A Level Geography Geography is a hands on approach to understanding the complexities and developments in the world in which we live. The world is phenomenal and ever changing. The landscapes and human interactions we experience everyday are fascinating and confusing at the same time! Geography helps you to make sense of the world around you. It is up to date, relevant and a perfect subject for people who learn by discovery and enquiry. Geography will help you get to grips with some of the big questions which affect our world and understand the social, economic and physical forces and processes which shape and change our world. Geography is incredibly varied and the branches of human, physical and environmental Geography have a vast array of interactions that make the subject accessible to students studying any range of A Levels and KS5 courses. The use of fieldwork is an important part of Geography. Whether you go locally or get a chance to travel further away it is an excellent opportunity to experience some of the things you have learnt about in class, see things differently and of course have some fun! We follow AQA specification, which gives you a chance to study current and relevant topics: Physical Geography covers 3 topics: Water and Carbon cycles (flooding, wild fires and volcanic activity influence on the carbon cycle and water and carbon in the tropical rainforest); Desert landscapes and processes; Hazards (volcanic and seismic hazards, tropical storms and their causes, multi hazard environments). Human Geography covers 3 topics: Global systems and governance (international trade and world markets, globalisation, sustainable development and governance of Antarctica); Changing places (important of place and influence of places); Contemporary Urban Environments (urbanisation, pollution and urban micro climates, urban planning and sustainable growth, economic and social well being).

Sarah Messa BA (Hons) Geography from the University of Leeds. Teaching A level Geography for 6 years, delivering all areas of the course, with a particular interest in urban change, demographics, sustainability and planning for the future.

Michael Williams BSc (Hons) Geography from Salford University. Has taught A level Geography for 10 years. In the past delivered all aspects of an A level course but specialises more recently on the scientific elements and physical geography side of the course.

Danielle Moorhouse

Head of Geography

BSc (Hons) Geography from University of Lancaster. Has been teaching A level Geography for 9 years. Teaches all aspects of the course, enjoys and specialises most on the interactions between human & physical geography & the mathematical skills necessary to be a successful Geographer.