YEAR BOOK 2017-2018

IN THIS YEAR’S YEAR BOOK

THE HOME OF AMAZING PERFORMING ARTS OPPORTUNITIES

This last year has seen some further and amazing successes for Knutsford Academy, the Studio School and our fantastic students.

I have been hugely impressed by the tremendous talent and hard work shown by all our students this year. They work so hard in classrooms, shine so brightly on stage, excel at so many sports individually and in teams, and make such a massive contribution to their local communities. They have such positive attitudes and an appetite for life. It is a real pleasure and a privilege to work with them.

I know you would want me to say a large thank you, also, to all the staff who encourage and inspire them.

Our examination results at GCSE and A level continue to go from strength to strength and once again last year, our results made us one of the best schools locally and achieved recognition nationally. Our Year 7 intake next year is set to be bigger than ever and I am delighted that so many families choose Knutsford for their children.

On a personal note, I want to say thank you to all parents and carers for their unstinting and welcome support.

Here’s to another successful year!

Mike Cladingbowl

WELCOME FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL

OSCAR WINNER SAM REES - PAGE 15

TWO GREAT PRODUCTIONS - PAGES 4 & 5

AWARD WINNING RHS GARDEN - PAGE 13 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS AGAIN - PAGE 18

Our successful students who have been offered a place at OxbridgeL to R Josie Brookes, Rowan Perry, Iona McGarvey, Alexander Lunnon

Dr Peter Claus from the University of Oxford launches Target One Cheshire for which we are a lead school to promote entries to university

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INTO THE WOODS 12-16 DECEMBER 2017The winter production ‘Into The Woods’ was performed over five nights from 12 - 16 December. “Be careful what you wish for” seems to be the ongoing theme in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Brothers Grimm inspired musical, Into the Woods. The story follows the baker and his wife who wish to have a child, Cinderella who wishes to go the King’s Festival, and Jack who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the baker and his wife are visited by the neighbourhood witch, who reveals to them that she placed a curse on their family, the two set off on a journey into the woods to reverse the curse.Over 50 students were involved in the production with Laura Downes as the baker’s wife, Ben Moser as the baker, Becki Brookes as Cinderella and Lucas Braithwaite as Jack.

PERFORMING ARTS

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUSThe summer production 'Mary Poppins’ was performed over four nights from 11 - 14 July. An ensemble of 60 students from Years 7 to 10 took to the stage for Mary Poppins, with the lead role of Mary played by Year 10 Amelia Statham, Jane by Martha Riley in Year 7 making her debut on the Bexton Road stage and Michael by Kyle Baron in Year 8. The production sold out days beforehand with almost 1000 people attending and seeing a wonderful adaptation of this classic musical.Miss Mayne, Head of Performing Arts commented - "What a wonderful week we have had, with such a fabulous group of young people. Mary Poppins is a great family favourite and we have loved sharing this super stage version of it with each of our full house audiences. Thanks to everyone who supported us in any way, we are now turning our attention to planning for the winter show 'Legally Blonde'."

Amelia Statham, who played the role of Mary Poppins, “I have loved playing Mary Poppins. It is such an iconic role and I have really enjoyed bringing it to life."

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THE ACADEMY CHOIRSThe Junior Choir has performed at a number of events over the last 12 months, including the Knutsford Christmas Lights Switch On and a concert at the nationally renowned Clonter Opera. Together with these events they also performed at the Academy Christmas Concert and The Beswick Festival.The Sixth Form Choir has been invited to perform at a number of prestigious local events. This has included the investiture for the British Empire Medal awarded by The Queen and hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, and a special service to commemorate the Holocaust, an incredibly moving event attended by survivors who live locally.DANCE FESTIVAL

Sixty students were involved in the Dance Festival on 28 March which saw over 20 dance performances.

THE 40TH BESWICK MUSIC FESTIVALOur annual celebration of musicianship here at the Academy took place on 22 March, with the 40th Beswick Music Festival. The Beswick was established to recognise the musical talent of our students and the evening saw 35 performances, including ensemble, instrumental recitals and vocalists.

WINNERS 2018Composer - Elizabeth FraserJunior Musician – Anna WatersBest Beginner – Emily IsaacEnsemble Players – The Stevie Blunders with Josh McClenaghan, Josh Barker, Nathan Fearns, Alex Fairhurst

Junior Vocalist – Jess GaytonContemporary Musician – Matthew FlintSenior Vocalists – Elizabeth Fraser, Cameron CookSenior Musician – Josie BrookesShorrocks Award – Daisy BoltonWallace Rose Bowl – Sam Rees

PERFORMING ARTS

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AUTUMN TERM

BARCLAYS WORKSHOP Year 8 enjoy a technology workshop with staff from Barclays. The workshop formed part of Knutsford Heritage Open Days which celebrated the life of wartime codebreaker Alan Turing. On a codebreaking theme the students had to identify a secret code to break out of a computer game. Jade from Barclays commented, “We were impressed how quickly the students understood some basic principles with coding and linked this to the incredible work of Alan Turing."

READY STEADY COOK

Year 7 recreated the cooking show with two teams devising recipes and the audience then deciding the winner. The winning dish then featured on the school menu the following week.

DRAGONS DENA team of four Year 10 students worked on their business skills entering the Dragons Den competition organised by Manchester Airport. Sales of their chocolate Santa Sleigh raised £668 for East Cheshire Hospice.

Pictured L to R: Thomas Goostrey, Andrew Manning, Charlie Lingard, Harry Kenyon

HOSPITALITY FOR EGERTON PUPILS As part of their coursework Year 11 Hospitality students hosted an ‘Under The Sea’ themed party for pupils from Egerton Primary School. Not only did they have to devise the menu but also organise a range of activities involving arts and crafts.

Lunch being served to Egerton pupils

YOUNG LEADERSMaria Andrade, Jack Franklin and Amy Norbury received Young Leaders in Service awards from Knutsford Lions for voluntary work in the local community.

YEAR 7 RESIDENTIAL Year 7 spent three days at Kingswood Colomendy Residential Centre in October where they embarked on a range of outdoor pursuits. The residential is part of the transition programme for Y7 students and they get to make new friends and meet Academy staff.

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SPRING TERMCANUTE LUNCH CLUBYear 10 Hospitality students hosted a lunch on 16 January for Knutsford based Canute Lunch Club. Students devised the menu, cooked and then served the lunch to 40 retired local residents.

Hospitality students LtoR, Jess Fox-Hewitt, Danielle Johnson, Alysia Blake, Sophie Coates and Olivia Speight

HEART SCREENING DAY A first for the Academy - and a first for a school in the UK - a Heart Screening Day was held in the Studio School on 27 March, with the day funded by Knutsford First Responders and Cardiac Risk in the Young. Over 100 students received a free heart screen as part of a national campaign to identify heart conditions at an early age.

WORLD BOOK DAYStudents from Year 7 took part in World Book Day on 28 February where they dressed as their favourite book characters.

BLOODHOUND WORKSHOP During February Year 9 students participated in a unique Bloodhound Workshop as part of the Bloodhound Project which is attempting to break the 1000mph world land speed record. Students were joined by volunteers from Oracle and worked on a number of exercises to design cars and learn about the important role science and technology has in such projects.

A team from Year 9 were victorious competing against 5 other schools in a local magistrates competition.

The Academy Parliament got to meet local MP and Government Minister Esther McVey.

CAREERS FAIR We hosted our second Careers Fair on 21 March. Even bigger than last year, this year no fewer than 45 businesses, colleges and universities attended. Almost 500 students from Years 10 to 13 visited over the course of the day.

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SUMMER TERM

YEAR 7 BIKEABILITYIn May, over 40 students from Year 7 took part in the Bikeability training programme, with important safety tips and road-user skills as well as learning about bike mechanics and maintenance.

GREAT GET TOGETHERFor the second year in a row, the Academy hosted the Great Get Together in partnership with Knutsford U3A on 24 June. Over 50 retired local residents attended, many of whom live on their own or in care homes. They were treated to a performance from the Academy’s production, Mary Poppins, and joined students playing card games, Jenga, and other games.

PE REWARD TRIPOver 50 students from Years 7 to 10 who have regularly taken part in extra-curricular sport this academic year attended the PE reward trip to Scotsman’s Flash outdoor adventure centre in Wigan on 22 May. In beautiful sunshine, students enjoyed sailing, bell boating and kayaking whilst wearing full wet suits and buoyancy aids!

HALLE WORKSHOPFor the fourth year in a row on 10 July we welcomed the Halle to run a business themed concert workshop, Susanna from the Halle commented on twitter - Fantastic day today with students at @Knutsfordac working on a business studies project around a @the_halle concert! Thanks to @manairport for supporting this project and to Wendy for judging! #lifeskills #halleeducation

AWARD WINNING GARDEN AT RHS TATTON FLOWER SHOWThe Academy re-established its gardening club with students working on a 6 month project to design, grow and build a garden for the RHS Tatton Flower Show. The challenging theme of the artist Steve McQueen was handed to the school by the RHS and the students decided to base the garden around his award winning film ‘12 Year's a Slave'. A team of Year 7 students grew over 500 plants and then built the garden which was on display from 18-22 July.We were absolutely delighted to be awarded the Best High School Garden by the RHS.

THE BRILLIANT CLUBEight students in Year 9 took part in this year's Brilliant Club project. They worked alongside Dr Robert Worth from The University of Manchester for 6 weeks researching the science behind Britain's nuclear power development. In May the students graduated at Lancaster University all passing the course with four of the students achieving a 1st class certification.

WELLBEING CHALLENGEYear 9 students, Jess Ranfield, Faith Jackson and Sam Townley took part in the 2018 Wellbeing Challenge in partnership with the Charlie Waller Trust. They were involved in a range of activities to raise awareness of mental health and the importance of wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle.

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It’s been seven years since I started at Knutsford Academy and over that time I would say I’ve had a brilliant experience at this school. Although there have been ups and downs (the first few years I’d get detention and demerits for ‘forgetting’ homework, copying other people’s homework or not completing homework) altogether my time at Knutsford has helped me become what I am today, an 18 year old with a credit in 'The Silent Child' an Oscar-winning short film… I would say that’s not too bad.In Year 7, I began my ‘career’ as an actor and future winner of Funniest Boy at prom (not Oscar status, but I was still very grateful) in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. I played Judah and had to dance in a turban - pretty much all I remember from that production. I went on to play Fat Sam in Bugsy Malone - a great opportunity to show off my terrible American accent. Although the accent could’ve done with some work, I really enjoyed the production and out of the two Lower School shows I’d say this was my favourite.Next it was the big move to Upper School, which I actually looked forward to as it cut ten minutes off my walk to school. Here I learnt that the dinner ladies were less favourable to giving out free food and that homework got a lot harder. From Years 9 to 11, I appeared in Hairspray and We Will Rock You and had to learn lots of choreography which, luckily, wasn’t as hard as GCSE maths.The choice to join the Sixth Form here at Knutsford was an easy one for me; I knew the subjects that I had chosen to study would be better here than anywhere else. Over the next two years, I would appear in a banana-yellow dress and tap shoes for Billy Elliot, a pair of skin-tight leather pants for School of Rock and a dark blue tailcoat and mullet for Into the Woods. Out of these three brilliant shows I’d say Billy Elliot was my favourite.

So, that’s it. Seven years seems kind of short when it’s squashed into four paragraphs. But I can safely say that what I’ve done through school in those seven years and the help I’ve received from members of staff and friends have made it a really enjoyable time.

SIXTH FORM IN THE COMMUNITY

OSCAR WINNER SAM REES - MY TIME AT KNUTSFORD ACADEMY

TALKING NEWSPAPERFive of our Sixth Form students have been working with the Knutsford Talking Newspaper this year. The publication includes the Youth Speaks supplement - a range of articles written and recorded by the students themselves.Rowan Perry, Year 13, commented: ‘The Talking Newspaper team were really supportive when we were getting to grips with the recording process. We have all really enjoyed working with such a great charity.’

THE TOY APPEALThe Academy supported well known local charity The Toy Appeal in December. Academy students and their families donated a huge selection of toys and Sixth Formers helped with the huge task of packing the thousands of toys at Egerton Sports Club.

Residents and carers from Leycester House Care Home enjoying their Christmas lunch with Sixth Formers at the Academy

Students L to R: Alex Lunnon, Rowan Perry, Iona McGarvey, Saskia Davies and Jack Franklin

Sam as Ned - School of Rock

Sam as Michael - Billy Elliot

Sam as the Wolf – Into The Woods

Sixth Form media students record a promotional video to spread the word about Knutsford Market

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ON THEIR TRAVELS

NEW YORK 2018In February 2018 the Performing Arts and Creative faculties made their annual visit to New York City. With temperatures that ranged from minus figures to 24 degrees, it was difficult to know what to wear, but what wasn’t in doubt was the quality of performances we saw on Broadway and the talent on display in the many galleries and museums visited. The students and staff who participated had a fabulous time and made memories which will live with them forever.

SKIING 2018The annual half-term skiing trip saw over 60 students travel to Montgenèvre in France. The snow was fantastic and weather was glorious.

SPORTS TOUR TO PARISThe May half-term Sports Tour saw the Year 7 Football Team and the Year 8 and Year 10 Rugby Teams head to Paris. All of the teams played 2 games against locally based clubs and enjoyed several training sessions. They spent a day in Paris with some great views of the Eiffel Tower and a trip around the Stade de France.The ‘One Team’ mantra for the tour was a huge success with great support on the sidelines from all of the students and staff.We would like to thank Evoke and Phillip Norbury Ltd for their support and sponsoring the tour kit.

Students sat out on ‘The High Line’ in NYC

Departing for Montgenèvre

Fancy Dress Friday hits the slopes

Year 8 Rugby

Year 7 Football in Paris

‘One Team’ pitchside at the Stade de France

Year 10 Rugby in the changing rooms at the Stade de France

CERN VISITA-Level Physics students visited the CERN research organisation in July, which sits astride the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, They had a guided tour of the the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments that are used to study the basic constituents of matter. The tour included a visit to the Antimatter Factory where physicists, biologists and medics study the biological effects of antiprotons.

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SPORT @ THE ACADEMY

NETBALL SUCCESSKnutsford Academy’s Netball squads have had an excellent season, with eight teams from across five year groups regularly attending training sessions and competing in the Macclesfield & District league as well as the Mid Cheshire League. Big thanks to coaches Elaine, Justine & Steve, who coach and attend matches week in week out.

Netball achievements this year show just how far each squad has come:

Most Improved School – Macclesfield & DistrictUnder 12 Runners-up – Mid Cheshire TournamentUnder 14 Winners – Mid Cheshire TournamentU13 Runners up – Mid Cheshire LeagueU14 Winners – Mid Cheshire League

Well done to everyone who has represented the school this academic year - we look forward to building on it further next season. Mrs Ince, Miss Walsh, Miss Weigh

FOOTBALL ACADEMYWith the Football Academy’s two cup wins the previous season, this would be a hard act to follow but our team didn’t disappoint, with several students electing to go on tour to Memphis with our partners Soccer Scholar USA, and 2 students being accepted onto Football Scholarships at top universities in the US. The Academy entered the ESFA National Cup for the first time, and out of 380 teams made it through to round 5 - a brilliant achievement putting our Academy in the top 32 schools at U18 in the country. Finishing the season in style, we reached the final of the Cheshire County Cup for the second year running, winning 3-2 after extra-time against Priestley College. A phenomenal achievement considering the Academy had never before won the competition. Our thanks and appreciation goes to McHale & Co Solicitors, sponsors of the Football Academy.

YEAR 7 FOOTBALLA fantastic first season for a team that only came together in September. Full of flair and ability, the Year 7 team finished 2nd in the Vale Royal Schools League and won the Vale Royal Schools 6-a-side competition. Ending the season in style, the team went on a week-long tour to Paris – see page 17.

CUP RUN FOR RUGBYThe growth in rugby at the Academy continued with teams established at U12, U13 and U15. The U15 team entered the national Natwest Vase and after 3 wins progressed to the last 16 of the competition before loosing in a keenly fought contest against QEGS Grammar from Penrith.Head of Rugby Mr Acton commented,"This is the first time the Academy has entered a team into a national competition and it has been a great experience having the opportunity to play against a variety of schools many of whom have a long rugby tradition." PLUS SO

MUCH MORE

Georgia Allen won the Cheshire U16 Girls Championship and is also the junior captain at High Legh Park Golf Club

Eloise Babington and Zach Locke competed in the Cheshire and Merseyside Cross Country Finals finishing 10th and 7th respectively

Ben Healy continues to excel as a 200m sprint specialist and qualified for the English Schools Final with a PB of 23.00 secs

Bradley McGarry who competed in Denmark with Spartans boxing club

Abigail Comline, Louis Thomas and Dan Hulme who all swim for Knutsford Vikings competed in the North West Championships in May and all recorded season's best times

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SPORTS AWARDS

Year 7 and 8 Netball

Year 10 Rounders

Two sports that are growing in participation at the Academy, hockey above and cricket below

The annual sports awards on 11 July saw students recognised for commitment and outstanding performance across a huge range of sports. Many students were rewarded with their full colours, presented by former Rugby League international Iestyn Harris.

Full ColoursYear 7

Seb Andersen Emma Routs

Ellie Babington Leonie Parish

Elsa Jackson Mia Platt

Gabby Kirby-Davies Seb Valentine

Zach Locke

Year 8

Bailey Brown Becky Nixon

Year 9

Zal Altindag Serenna Hoskins

Maya Ashcroft Isabella Hulme

Sophie Baldwin Sam Jackson

Isobel Barker Louis Martin

Alfie Bashford Emma Maxwell

Daisy Bolton Olivia Phillips

Luke Covill-Rivers Charlie Parks

Ciara Cumberlidge Jessica Ranfield

Amber Founds Amelia Thomas-Wade

Bradley Giblin Finlay Vaughan

Sam Holland

Year 10

Georgia Allen Maisy Jardine

Nathan Brooks Harry Kenyon

Abby Comline Zoe Maxwell

Aysin Dervish Andrew Manning

Gianluca Edwards Tom Merron

Thomas Goostrey Ellis Rogers

Callum Grassby Ella Senior

Emily Hamer Isobel Tucker

Elise Humblet Eve Vickers

Thursday 18 July was KMAT’s sixth competitive sports day held at Longford Park. The sun shone and the students effort and involvement was amazing. Forms 7MKT, 8CAS & 9NSY were victorious in the end but a huge well done goes out to all competitors. Eight school records were broken in total: Josh Wade Y7 Discus 15.72mGabby Kirby-Davies Y7 High Jump 1.34mJacob Allen Y9 Triple Jump 10.96mElsa Jackson Y7 100m 12.83sJack Wood Y7 200m 29.67sAnna Taylor Y9 200m 29.33sBradley Giblin Y9 1500m 4 mins 53s A great day and we can’t wait to do it all over again next year!!Mrs Ince

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DofE @ THE ACADEMY

ANNUAL PRESENTATION EVENINGThe annual Duke of Edinburgh Awards Presentation Evening in February saw almost 100 students receive their Gold, Silver or Bronze award. We were joined at the ceremony by young explorer, Alex Staniforth, who shared his amazing experiences including two attempts to climb Mount Everest. Mr Middleton received a special award in recognition of his leading the Academy DofE programme for 10 years.

DOFE GOLD AWARDS PRESENTED AT BUCKINGHAM PALACEFormer Academy students who achieved the Gold Award last year were presented their Awards at Buckingham Palace on 24 May by Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York. Former Head Girl, Olivia Withers, commented, "Doing the DofE involved a lot of time and effort but every bit was worth it. You get a huge feeling of accomplishment and achievement, especially going all the way through to Gold and having the opportunity to go to Buckingham Palace to receive the Award."

BRONZE EXPEDITION50 Year 9 students embarked on their first DofE Bronze expedition. Over the two days they covered over 18 miles involving an overnight camp at the beautiful Linnet Clough camp site in the Peak District.

GOLD EXPEDITIONThe Gold expedition in mid-June saw 9 Sixth Form students walk more than 40 miles miles in the Peak District over 4 days. This included completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a challenge in itself - even more so with temperatures averaging over 25ºc.

SILVER EXPEDITION45 Year 10 students, having achieved their Bronze award, started on their Silver award. Here, the expedition was over three days with them covering a total of 30 miles.

Year 10 students watching the England v Tunisia World Cup match whilst on their expedition

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FAREWELL TO YEAR 11 AND 13

YEAR 13 VALEDICTORY - 26 JUNE

YEAR 11 PROM - 24 JUNE