Furness Academy Yearbook 2012

YEARBOOK 2011–2012

PERSONAL BEST - RESPONSIBILITY - CO-OPERATION - RESPECT

We would love to hear your opinions about this year’s yearbook. Either scan the QR code below or type in the following link www.surveymonkey.com/s/LZDRDWT, and tell us what you think of this yearbook. To thank you for this, every survey entry will be placed into a prize draw to

win a shopping or restaurant voucher of your choice worth £50.

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Welcome to our second Yearbook and let me start by telling you how exciting and innovative it is this year. You will be able to actually bring photographs to life and watch video footage of some of the fantastic activities and achievements contained within and that should make this yearbook quite unique. Since the Academy opened in September 2009, our students and staff have set about proving their worth in so many ways. In partnership with parents, Governors, Sponsors and the wider community of Barrow-in-Furness, our students continue to build a good reputation for themselves and the Academy across the town, and of course next academic year (September 2013) we will finally be able to come together as one big academy community in our wonderful new building on what is currently South Site.

Our Yearbook is published annually and contains illustrations, video footage and accounts of the diverse range of successes and accolades earned by our students throughout each year.

The pictures, stories and records give readers a fascinating insight into students’ engagement with sport, the arts, charity work and a whole host of other enrichment opportunities which our students take part in each year, including those taking place overseas.

In the articles you will see students striving to achieve their personal best, demonstrating high levels of cooperation, showing respect and taking responsibility; these are the values which guide our daily work and which serve to ensure that Furness Academy is so much more than just a school.

I hope you enjoy the read!

It gives me great pleasure to introduce this celebration of the achievements for Furness Academy. I took over as Chair of Governors in the summer of 2012 and look forward to the exciting challenge ahead.

This time next year we will be on one site in our fantastic new building, this has taken some time to achieve, however with the building now visible to the community, I just can’t wait until we finally receive the keys!

The overall GCSE results this summer did not meet the aspirations of Furness Academy. I can assure you that we have taken rapid action to focus our improvements around core provision. There were of course some excellent results for many departments, most notably science and ICT along with the 1 year courses undertaken by year 9 and 10.

The Sponsors, Governing body and leadership team are determined to provide the best possible education for the students and make Furness Academy the school of choice in Barrow.

Ted CreightonChair of Governors, Furness Academy

Douglas BlackledgePrincipal, Furness Academy

WELCOME TO THE 2011-12 YEARBOOK

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Aurasma – How to install and set up

1. Use your iPhone, iPod or iPad

2. Open up the App Store

3. Search ‘Aurasma’

4. Look for this app logo >

5. Install the App

6. Open up Aurasma

7. Select OK > Yes > OK

8. Click the icon in the top left corner

9. Scroll to the Right to find Search

10. Enter ‘Furness Academy Yearbook’

11. Click Subscribe – (you may need to make an account at this point, don’t worry its free and they don’t spam you)

12. Re-Subscribe

13. Click ‘DONE’

14. Hold the camera over the content on the year book where you see this logo > with the app open and reveal the hidden content

15. Double tap, makes it full screen and double tap to close

This year we wanted to take our yearbook one step further in terms of innovation and make the yearbook interactive. Basing our ideas on work that the students have completed in their ICT and Media Studies classes this year, we decided to incorporate some multimedia elements into the yearbook via QR codes and augmented reality triggers.

QR codes are the barcode images that can be scanned by a smartphone and will open a website, a video, a text message etc. Through this yearbook you will notice QR codes on a number of pages. If you use your smartphone, iPod or other such device with a QR reader on (we recommend ‘Scan’), you should be able to scan these codes and enjoy the multimedia content to which they link.

Augmented reality is similar to QR codes in the sense that it links you to content through scanning an image but it does so in an entirely different way. Whereas a QR code would link you to something that is altogether separate from the yearbook, using augmented reality we can actually overlay an image or video on top of the yearbook content, via your smart device. Year 11 Student Matthew Yarwood has provided the set of instructions below to help you set up your device to view the augmented reality in this yearbook. Miss Walker and Mr Kavanagh’s Media Studies class have been instrumental in helping the interactive yearbook become a reality, so we must say a huge thank you to them for all their hard work. There are 16 QR codes and 20 augmented reality images to find and view in this yearbook.

Have fun and happy hunting!

A YEARBOOK THAT COMES ALIVE

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CONT

ENTS

Science & Technology 6

Science

Catering

Technology

Maths

Top of the FormFuture Engineers DayVictoria and STEM Challenge Day

Catering students at Furness collegeCoffee morning Cup cake competitionChinese new year Pancake tossingStudents’ work in the refectory

Rotary technology tournamentSchools engineering projectTextiles – Goo Face process

UK Maths Challenge Maths residential

Creativity & Performance 16

Art

Music

ICT

Drama

PE & sport

Wildlife park trip Rhino Rumpus Artsmark RBA exhibition Annual GCSE exhibition Year 7 Grizedale forest Artist of the month

Furness Academy SingersSouth Cumbria music festival

Signal films tripOlympics promotional video

Beauty and the Beast Dance show – Stomp spectacularLondon theatre trip Russian visitTwelfth Night

FootballCricketNetball Basketball Athletics X-country Walney fun runYouth sport trustTop up SwimmingKayaking Albi dance workshop Olympic celebration day Sports day north

Community, Culture & Communication 38

English

Literacy Development

MFL

PD

Year 7 residentialPoetry competition

Accelerated readingReading millionairesReading buddies

MFL super learning daysStudent teachers Vocab express challenge MFL Inter-school quiz

Work experienceSuccess of a new course Dragon’s Den

Innovation & looking to the future 52

Innovation

The Future

Transforming learning Turf cutting ceremony

Rewards, recognitions and success 56

Vivo miles high achieversStudent of the weekBarrow Borough Sports Council Awards BAE mentoring AttendanceYear 11 100% attendanceStudent success out of school Student responsibilityAcademy awards evening

Charity 68

Charity & Good causes Coffee morningBuild AfricaKodhobari schoolElderly Christmas partyOperation Christmas ChildSponsored walk

The House system 74

KennedyTomlinsonRamsdenArmstrongResults tableWinners and trophy

Trips & Enrichment 86

Trips

Enrichment

Ski tripSignal Film trip – Year 8Year 7 Grizedale tripSecret student – Alton Towers Media bus Trip to Olympic GamesOlympic torch trip Transition summer schoolSports summer school

iPad gamesCraft clubScript and songwriting club Singing club Theatre clubFilm clubiClick photography clubCraft clubScience club

Year 11 98

Year 11 Learning GroupPrefects’dinnerLeavers’ assemblyLeavers’ promGCSE results


Future engineers day with BAE Systems

Catering students cookchristmas dinner

building electric cars in the STEM challenge day


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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYLEARNING ZONEScience Top of the Form Future Engineers Day Victoria and STEM Challenge Day

Catering Catering students at Furness College Coffee morning Cup cake competition Chinese new year Pancake tossing Students’ work in the refectory

Technology Rotary Technology Tournament Schools engineering project Textiles – Goo Face process

Maths UK Maths Challenge Maths residential

Top of the FormAnother successful day in the science and engineering quiz.

UK Maths Chal lengeMaths talent adds up to multi-medal success.

Rotary TechC oin sorting is a tricky chal lenge for our team.

Catering studentsStanding the heat of a real kitchen is great experience.

Pancake tossingA tasty way to learn about Shrove Tuesday.

Goo Face processCreative textile designs used to promote iPad app.

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

WWW.BAESYSTEMS.COM


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E Lok Wah Ho, David Allewell, Sarah Kirkby and Debbie Woods represented Furness Academy in this year’s Top of the Form, with the task of bringing home the trophy for a second year running. They faced St Bernard’s in the final after defeating Chetwynde, Cartmel Priory and Ulverston in the earlier rounds.

The competition, now in its eighth year, is organised by BAE Systems and is an inter-schools quiz aimed at promoting science and engineering among GCSE students in the South Cumbria area.

Mr Blackledge, present at the final with many other staff and students, commented:

“Once again it was an honour and a privilege to be present at the final of BAE’s Top of the Form competition. After another tense battle, this time with St Bernard’s in the Coronation Hall in Ulverston, our team emerged victorious.

I was so proud of them and their incredible achievement in becoming Furness Peninsula Top of the Form champions for the second year running.

Lok Wah, Sarah, David and Debbie all demonstrated their amazing breadth and depth of knowledge across the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They also showed an unflappable ability to remain calm and composed under pressure, including in the practical challenge which they won comfortably. They are all clearly destined for great futures.

Thanks to everyone who took part and for the dignified and humble way in which you celebrated your victory. Thanks too to those staff, students and parents who attended to support the team, and finally, thanks to Miss Campbell for all her work in her role as organiser and coach.”

TOP OF THE FORM CHAMPIONS

Science

Mathematics

Technology

Engineering


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EPotential future engineers from Year 9 attended an exciting and informative event in March, organised by the BEP (Barrow Engineering Project) and BAE Systems.

The Future Engineers 2012 day involved team-building exercises working with students from other schools and colleges as well as hearing from guest speakers and visiting the Devonshire Dock Hall (DDH) shipbuilding facility to be shown how submarines are assembled.

One challenge was to design the best, and cheapest, way of supporting a motor so that when it was switched on it ran as quietly as possible.

The 20 teams had to learn how to work with people they didn’t know and then, as a team, design their model. The winning team received a glass trophy.

Furness Academy student, Andrew Teijlingen-Bell, commented: “The event was set up to give us an insight into engineering as a vocation and all the possible routes and opportunities it can provide as a future career.”

“I enjoyed meeting new people from other schools and the opportunity to show off my own skills in Science and Maths.”

FUTURE ENGINEERS2 0 1 2

S T E MCHALLENGE DAYA series of interesting challenges faced a group of Year 7 students from Furness Academy who attended Victoria Junior School as part of their science technology engineering and maths (S.T.E.M.) challenge day.

The challenge was to build a car that had an electric motor that would either power a propeller or cogs and a drive belt connected to one of the axles.

Our students observed what the primary school students were doing and assessed the resources available before deciding how to make their cars.

One of the students, Brandon Wilson, said: “We chose to make a car that would use the drive belt and cogs to power it.”

“One of the main reasons for this was because the propellers on the wind powered cars broke easily. We had very little time to build the car so needed to work quickly; roles were allocated within the team and when the separate jobs were completed we joined the axles and the chassis together and attached the motor on top, with the drive belt running from the motor to the wheel.”

“It was hard work but, working as a team, we managed to complete the challenge within the allotted timescale. We then had a race with all the cars and ours did really well.”

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As part of our access catering course, students were carrying out a module on cakes and biscuits and decided they’d like to hold a coffee morning for staff one Thursday in April.

After lots of discussion it was decided they would make millionaire’s shortbread, mini meringues, fruit scones, whisked sponges, chocolate chip muffins and profiteroles.

It was also decided that as there wasn’t the space for all the staff to come to the food room that they would take the food to the staff room for them to help themselves.

On the morning it was very hectic but really fun with students, under Mrs Rushton’s guidance, having to make sure that all the food was presented properly, on time and that each plate had a nice variety.

At the access catering group’s ‘cupcake competition’ all students were given the opportunity to research different cupcake designs using the iPads.

They had to design a range of suitable ideas and pick the best to make, with students encouraged to think about the ‘novelty’ of the design and the ingredients needed to make it as well as planning how it was to be produced.

For the following lesson, students arrived prepared and ready to spend the morning producing some wonderful ideas ranging from ‘Cookie monster’, ‘Duck on a lake’, ‘Garfield’ and many more.

Judging was very hard as all the students had surpassed themselves but the overall winner was Kerri Holmes 9SY2, with Lewis Findlay 10SB2 receiving the prize for best effort.

Students access catering experienceStudents looking to progress to careers in catering and hospitality were given the chance to learn from the experts – then put what they’d learned into practice.

Access to Catering students spent two mornings working in the Forge Restaurant at Furness College. They used the visits to learn more practical catering skills in a realistic working environment.

Then they worked with Furness College’s level 1 and level 2 diploma students to produce a three-course Christmas meal for parents/carers and Academy staff. Students prepared a selection of dishes ranging from Thai sweet chilli beef, traditional Christmas Turkey and trimmings to chocolate mille fois and winter berry crème brûlée.

All students experienced working in the kitchens, developing practical skills and carrying out front of house duties. They also took the opportunity to enquire about careers in catering and hospitality.

Coffee morning Cup Cake Competition

“The Academy students have all worked incredibly hard and I am sure their parents/carers will be delighted with their efforts.”Sara Jane Archer Furness College Catering Tutor

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In collaboration with our catering manager, Mrs Beach, a selection of dishes were chosen from the GCSE Catering students’ controlled assessment two.

The brief for this assessment was to create two dishes suitable to be sold in a school/college refectory. The recipes for the dishes chosen were then adapted and recreated by the refectory staff to show off the students’ talents and also to enable the students to see if their dishes would work in a commercial setting. Three of the students helped serve on the day. The reactions and comments from both students and staff were great and the event itself very successful. Although there were complaints of staff queue jumping ahead of other staff to get to the last cheesecake!

In January, access catering students decided they’d like to celebrate Chinese New Year, so began to research foods that Chinese people eat.

They decided to make a range of dishes including chow mein, chicken fried rice, crispy chicken, hot and sour soup and crispy rice noodles.

The table looked attractive and Miss Wade, Mr Tippins, Mr Carton and Mr Blackledge all popped in to sample the dishes. Mr Blackledge, when trying the hot and sour soup, said “the hotter the better!” Everyone enjoyed it and said how successful it was.

“On the day my job was to generally help and take charge of preparing the table. It was very busy but we managed to get everything finished in time.” - Kerri Holmes 9SY2

This February, as Shrove Tuesday fell on the day of the access catering lesson, it was decided that we would hold a ‘pancake tossing competition’.

The students had to carry out some research looking into the meaning behind Shrove Tuesday and Easter, then researching how different countries celebrated Shrove Tuesday.

On the day students were provided with the mixture and set about making and eating their pancakes.

They then had to get into pairs and instructions were given for the running of the competition. Students were given a bought pancake for equality and had a minute to toss as many times as possible.

The overall winner was Rebecca Pidduck 9 SY2 who managed 62 tosses.

Pancake tossing competition

Gung hay fat choy Chinese New Year

GCSE STUDENTS‘TAKE OVER THE REFECTORY’


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The tricky challenge of constructing a mechanism for sorting coins was tackled by Furness Academy students taking part in the Rotary Technology Tournament in March.

The event, held at Hawcoat Sports Pavilion, set the task of making a product capable of sorting 1p and 2p coins into separate columns and it certainly presented a few tricky problems.

Furness Academy team member, Joshua Read, explained: “We spent the first hour planning and designing our product. After this, two members of the group began making the product whilst the other two finished the portfolio.”

“Our coin sorter worked by making the coins roll down a piece of wood and fall through holes, the first hole big enough for the smaller 1p and the second, a bigger one for the 2p.”

“We came across a few issues, such as the 1p coin rolling too quickly causing it to jump over the first hole and falling into the second, and the 2p getting stuck in the first hole.”

“Fortunately we overcame our obstacles, but not the opposition. Although we didn’t win this challenge, our coin-sorter was successful and most importantly, we had great fun during the course of the day.”

A number of us were chosen, from both sites, to compete in the ‘magnetic golf ball challenge’ at Barrow Sixth Form College.

The objective of this year’s challenge was to design, manufacture and test a remotely operated crane with a magnetic lifting device. We then had to attach it to a radio controlled racing car making it capable of collecting, carrying and delivering golf balls over a given course.

We all worked as a team, focusing initially on designing then building the crane. Once our model was completed, a race was organised against the other schools from the area. I found this engineering challenge a fun experience, and enjoyed working with other students who I had not really got to know before. I also learned a great deal, not only about specific skills to do with engineering, but how to work in a team and working under pressure to a deadline.

FURNESS ROTARY DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

MAGNETIC GOLF BALL CHALLENGE

Ryan Mcleese

Ewan Holt

Blain Marwood

Joshua Read


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What do you get when you combine an iPad with cotton wool, a sewing machine and a ‘Goo face’ app?

‘Innovation and creativity’ was the answer when this combination confronted Miss Irwin’s class of eager Year 8’s.

The students had to tackle the following task: “You have been asked by Apple Mac to promote their ‘Face Goo’ application. As a creative textile designer you have decided to use the iPad app to manipulate a portrait of yourself and use this to inspire a Textile creation using cotton for the face and hessian for the background.

You need to make a prototype of your ‘Goo Face’ to present to the promotions committee at their next meeting.

This exciting yet challenging design brief allowed students to discover how technology can be used within the setting of a textiles classroom, allowing creativity to be developed using both innovative and traditional methods.


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ATHS The United Kingdom Mathematical Trust is an organisation run by the School of Mathematics at Leeds University whose

aim is to ‘advance the education of children and young people in mathematics’.

Every year Furness Academy put forward our gifted and talented mathematicians into one of two challenges: a junior challenge for years 7 and 8 and an intermediate challenge for years 10 and 11.

One hour is given to attempt twenty-five VERY challenging multiple choice maths questions with points awarded for correct answers and points lost for incorrect ones.

Junior Maths Challenge Results

This year approximately forty students were entered into the junior challenge, with one student achieving gold, two silvers and six bronze Awards. Within Year 8, Joshua Woodend not only won the Gold Award, but also achieved the status of ‘Best in Year’ and ‘Best in School’. Tyler Forsyth and Dominic Lindsay were Silver Award winners and the following students won the Bronze Award: Kieran Crewe, Callum Baynes, Macauley Hammond, Megan Williams, Jared Gibbons and Georgia Hayman.

Of our Year 7 students, Christian Squire achieved Silver Award and title of ‘Best in Year’ and Bethany Thornton gained the Bronze Award.

Intermediate Maths Challenge Results

The students secured two Gold, five Silver and four Bronze awards in the Intermediate age group. Within Year 10, David Allewell achieved the Gold Award with an impressive 104 points, making him a Hamilton winner. Rhys Leeming and Michael Thomson won the Silver Award and Adam Boyce secured the Bronze.

Our Year 11 students were also successful, with Connor McNeill becoming a Gold Award winner. Daniel Johnson, Lok Wah Ho and Andrew Wood won Silver and Bronze Award winners were Sam Woods, Courtney Rowan and Jessica Peacock.

UK MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGES


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ATHSTo help give our kS4 students a final boost before examinations, the maths department has run 4 trips to Kepplewray

outdoors centre in Broughton.

“But what do we do Sir?” was a common question as we headed briefly up the coast in the school minibus. Once we got off the coach, it was straight to rooms to drop off bags then down to the main lounge where students were treated to a session from a leading, top ranked examiner (Ms York) explaining how they can pick up those crucial few extra marks.

After this it was time for a 3-course dinner, which was a learning experience in itself for some. This was followed by the big maths quiz in the main lounge where students received calculators and geometry sets.

Saturday began bright and early (7.30am), students stripping their beds and making their own lunches, all those valuable life skills! After a hearty breakfast students split into 3 groups and rotated around the rooms, enjoying 3 different 1 hour sessions of maths from 3 different teachers. We then broke for lunch before 3 hours of archery, tree climbing and orienteering in the afternoon. Before we left all students received awards and some special prizes for their endeavours.

Overall we felt that the trips were a great success. The aim was to tackle two issues, giving students the chance to travel away from the area, and improve their maths skills. Two quotes I feel summed these up. Firstly, coming out of his final exam, one student remarked, “the penultimate question was hard, but we did it with Ms York on the trip, so it was well worth going!” Secondly, whilst driving through Askam, one year 11 girl very excitably claimed, “I can see the (Barrow) town hall!” pointing across the bay to Millom.

MATHS CAMPANYONE?


See highlights of our Beauty and the Beast production

Signal film trip

Walney fun run

SINGING DAY

artist of the month


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CREATIVITY & PERFORMANCELEARNING ZONEArt Wildlife park trip Rhino Rumpus Artsmark RBA exhibition Annual GCSE exhibition Year 7 Grizedale forest Artist of the month Music Furness Academy Singers South Cumbria music festival ICT Signal films trip Olympics promotional video

Drama Beauty and the Beast Dance show – Stomp spectacular London theatre trip Russian visit Twelfth Night

PE & sport Football Cricket Netball Basketball Athletics X-country Walney fun run Swimming Youth sport trust Top up Swimming Kayaking Albi dance workshop Olympic celebration day Sports day north

Grizedale forestOur Year 7s enjoyed experiencing the art of nature.

KayakingPadd ling for medals, our students left the competition in their wake.

Beauty and the BeastA colourful celebration of so many creative talents in this hit show.

Olympic celebrationAn international day of events, ref lecting the true spirit of London 2012.


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South site art skills students ventured out on a cold and crisp December day to Dalton Wildlife Park to gather ideas and inspiration for a project creating life sized animal heads.

Once back in the warmth of school they used giant balloons and paper mache to create their animal sculptures.

North Site Art Skills class and BTEC group were given the unique opportunity to design a life size, fibreglass, baby Rhino for the Dalton-in-Furness Arts Event, ‘Rhinostoric Rumpus’!

Inspired by Liverpool’s Superlambanana sculptures, the rhinos will attract tourists to Dalton, as a supplementary attraction to South Lakes Wild Animal Park.

Arts Skills students designed a Rhino, which was sponsored by Dalton Wildlife Park using animal patterns, colours and textures as their inspiration creating a visually captivating design, which not only represents the students’ creativity and energy of the Art department, but also fulfilled the design brief given by the Wild Animal Park.

Furness Academy’s Rhino is part of a 20 strong herd that will feature in Dalton-in-Furness this summer.

“This has been a fantastic opportunity for the students to become involved in. Not only have they had to work to a specific brief and time scale, but they have also had the added pressure of working on a surface and scale that is unfamiliar. Throughout the project the students were professional, 100% committed and were eager to complete the Rhino in their own time. A huge thank you to; Tamica Donald, Amy Myers, Lauren Hart, Chloe Mease, Bradley Wallace, Chealsea Byrne and Laura Hunter for creating a visually stimulating sculpture and to Mrs Halliwell for volunteering to share her painting skills.”

I found making the animal head really creative as we had to work out the best way to construct the shapes with the materials we were given. It was challenging but I was really impressed with the way my hippo turned out.


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Developing confidence in their own creative expression has been a key achievement of students whose excellent work has helped earn Furness Academy the prestigious Arts Mark Gold award.

The nationally recognised Arts Council honour is recognition and official confirmation of the school’s commitment to, and excellence in, arts education.

Miranda Bond, Subject leader for the Arts said:“Our students have really enjoyed working with a wide variety of external arts partners and taking part in an extensive out of hours learning programme. I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work in achieving this award.”

“Arts Mark is more than simply a mark of distinction to us; taking part in the scheme has enabled us to develop our arts provision, and see the students who take part become more self-confident, engaged and excited about learning.”

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, added: “Arts Council England believes that the earlier children are creatively inspired, the more likely they are to have a lifelong engagement with art – something that can transform lives and give young people a voice for their thoughts and feelings.”

“This award recognises Furness Academy’s commitment to providing exciting art experiences and their belief in the power of creativity.”

The Art department was thrilled that all 6 pieces of art work submitted for this year’s RBA National Student Exhibition were selected to be shown at The Mall Galleries, London.

Kayleigh Lomas, Sophie Todd, Ruth Archer, Sophie Woods, their parents and Mrs. Bond travelled down to London on 10th July to attend the opening ceremony. Sophie Todd said, “It was a real pleasure to go to London to see my work along with everyone else’s”. Sadly Elizabeth Martin couldn’t attend as she was in Canada.

The exhibition is held under the patronage of the Royal Society of British artists and features the best young artists in the country exhibiting alongside work from some of Britain’s finest professional artists. It is a truly inspirational exhibition celebrating gifted and talented students from Schools, Colleges & Academies.

ARTS MARK GOLD A BENCHMARK OF EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS

RBA EXHIBITION


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This year’s art exhibition was held in the 3D suite on the 4th July 2012. 170 students studying GCSE and BTEC art displayed their work in a virtual gallery.

There was a wide selection of art styles and techniques on show including painting and sculpture. Work included cultural themes on Aboriginal, Mexican and Pop Art. Images of large tropical fish and natural forms, decorative shoe sculptures and a range of mixed media work were also on display. The evening was very well attended and enjoyed by all.

ART EXHIBITION 2012

GRIZEDALEART TRIP

SOPHIE WOODS

On the 12th July, the Art department had the pleasure of taking next year’s GCSE and BTEC art students on a trip to Grizedale forest, with the aims being: to encourage students to experience and respond to natural environments using an artistic approach; to develop thinking skills to be able to express personal opinions when interpreting art works

Students enjoyed and engaged with the beautiful environment of Grizedale showing that they are able to produce personal and intuitive responses within a small time frames using a range of approaches. Students took photographs using the iPods, evidently considering angles, textures and capturing objects which personally intrigued them within the natural landscape. Students also explored land art, using a frame to create a sculptural composition within using natural objects they had to hand.

We were also really lucky to have a guided sculpture and art trail carried out by a ranger. This was particularly influential on students as they were able to engage with a wide range of art forms from light sculpture to Beatrix Potter inspired paintings to large scale contemporary sculptures which looked like giant wax crayons. Students showed they are able to express their strong opinions, question the motives and ideas of the artists and develop an understanding of the concepts behind the work. Many of the art works seen were created as a response to an experience of the forest. As a department we hope this has inspired our students to go outside of the classroom and experience varying environments and use them to influence their own art work.


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‘Artist of the Month’ is a celebration and recognition of the high quality work which is being produced within the Art Department. Each month, students are nominated and their work is displayed on a large easel in the reception area of each site. Pictured is the outstanding work of the following students:

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Abbey Backhouse

Liam Cassidy

Michaela Halliday

Ruth ArcherTanya Park

Eleanor Tkocz


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It’s been a busy year for the Furness Academy Singers with students rehearsing hard and displaying their vocal talents to various audiences.

Furness Academy Singers also go out into the community to perform for various local groups and at special events.

This year they also competed in the South Cumbria Music Festival, a spectacular event in which they sang the theme from Titanic, Count On Me, Whistle Down the Wind and Flash Bang Wallop from the musical Half a Sixpence.

We earned a creditable second in both classes, giving Furness Academy a merit from the judges.

Furness Academy Singers also performed for Barrow & District Blind Club at Ostley House in October 2011 and for Barrow Homeless Shelter at a Charity Christmas Concert with Furness Music Centre in December 2011. Both concerts were well received by the audiences and the students enjoyed the experience of entertaining others.

Also in December we supported a Christmas event for the local elderly community hosted in the Learning Improvement Zone South Site. Our students sang a variety of traditional Christmas carols and popular songs from musicals.

Furness Academy Singers

We received good feedback as well as two certificates. It was an enjoyable experience, although we were a little nervous to begin with. I’d certainly like to do more events like this in the future!Jemma Young (11 SY1)


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ICTricks, skills and the painstaking work that goes into film-making were all experienced by members of Mrs Farouq’s ICT group during an exciting visit to Signal Films.

Experts at the Barrow-based media and arts company showed the students the mechanics of video work, including how the camera works in different ways and uses different techniques like wide-angle, mid, close-up and extreme close-up.

The students were all given different film-making roles. Some were actors, some looked after props/continuity, one was director and some were camera people.

During the day they learned tricks like making a ghost appear and then disappear then a second trick showed one person looking into a box and seeing their own face looking back at them from the box.

One comment that captured the impression the visit had made on the group was: “Overall we all learnt a great deal, especially how long it takes to make a short film. We all found it fascinating.”

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

It was technically difficult, involved careful planning and posed tricky challenges but Year 8 students tackled the task of creating a promotional video head on – and found it really rewarding.

As part of the ICT summer task, the students were asked to make a promo to highlight the school’s successful Furness Olympics, requiring rigorous preparation and a fair degree of advanced video editing skills.

Callum Baynes commented: “We had to analyse and review various videos to get inspiration for our promotional advert. We learned about different types of videos; TV advert, movie trailer, music video, promotional video and online media clip. This helped a lot as it gave us ideas of what we could include in the video and what to avoid.”

“We did a script and a design plan and developed ten questions to ask an athlete competing on the day. We interviewed athletes and recorded them in the hall before creating our promotional video. We added effects, transitions, text clips, titles, images and animation before editing it to be within a set time limit, yet still get the message across effectively. We picked up skills that will benefit us in the future and we enjoyed the task a lot.”

OLYMPIC PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

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Furness Academy staged its most spectacular and ambitious production to date - Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Mr Kitchin and the cast spent months rehearsing, singing, acting and working hard in evenings and weekends to produce the musical seen by all Year 7 students and Year 6 students from feeder Primary schools.

It was a particularly special experience for Dave Morgan (Gaston) and Jade McGuire (Enchantress), Jamie Thompson (Maurice) and Rachel Kipling (Mrs Potts), as Year 11’s this would be their final school performance. They were supported by a very talented cast from across the two school sites, and from all years including Lewis Devitt (Beast), Charlotte Bethell (Belle), Josh Read (Cogsworth), Josh Singleton (Lumiere) and Cai Williams (Le Fou). BTEC dancers led by Miss Berry enhanced the performance with their dance routines and BTec Acting students provided backstage help and took on the roles of stage management.

Curtis in Year 7 was one of the youngest performers and had this to say about the experience:

“My favourite part was spending time with the cast and the older students. I felt I got a lot out of it, in particular I learned not to be afraid of singing in front of people – it gave me confidence. I really enjoyed it; especially performing at night. Will I do it again next year? Definitely – I hope I get a good part!”

Beauty and the beast


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Beauty and the Beast was a very emotional but interesting theatrical experience. Everyone who took part showed great skill and talent. The props and scenery used were of a very high quality and really added to the feel of the play. Everyone looked amazing in their costumes which enhanced the authenticity of the play. The music and acting helped capture the magic of the story. We loved seeing Dave in his tights and boots and when Jade sang ‘Beauty and The Beast’- we cried!

Andrea Knibbs andKathryn King Year 11


DANCE SHOW

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Two months of creativity and hard work resulted in a wonderful showcase of dancing talent in February. Our first ever Dance Show was planned and choreographed by the BTEC Dancers and performed to an audience of over a hundred people.

It was an energetic, innovative and highly varied presentation featuring different styles of dance including contemporary, musical theatre, commercial and tap that really highlighted the girls’ talents and their passion for the subject.

Each performance was a unique and original piece created by the dancers with guidance from Miss Berry, who commented: “I am so proud of what the girls achieved, they worked extremely hard and the night showcased just how talented they are.”

Typical reactions to the project from the dancers were: “The dance show was a huge success and a great experience. I can’t wait for next year,” Jasmine Smith Year 10; and “it was fun - it has helped me with my confidence,” Charlotte Mawhinney Year 9.

For a trip to inspire and entertain Creative Arts students and staff, there can be few places in the world more exciting than London’s Covent Garden.

And so it proved this year as we rolled into the nation’s capital for an amazing visit that thrilled and educated our party in equal measure.

The creative vibe around Covent Garden had to be seen to be believed – as did Mr Kitchin’s moves when we learned a routine from a cast member of ‘Wicked’ at the famous Pineapple Studios.

Our brilliant students were responsible, appreciative of everyone’s efforts to make the trip happen and, above everything else, were completely blown away by the performance standards on show.

We were all truly inspired by the actors able to scare us silly on a simple set for ‘A Woman In Black’ and the fabulous costume, chorus work and technical staging on show for ‘Wicked’.

Furness Theatre trip


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There was a real sense of mutual appreciation when our Drama Department welcomed its first international group into the school in November.

A group of 12 students from the Moscow School of Economics visited Furness Academy as part of a visit to the area which included them performing their version of Hamlet at The Forum’s Shakespeare Schools Festival.

In the morning of our guests’ day with us a selection of our GCSE Drama students presented various samples of work which the Moscow students said they thoroughly enjoyed and which they praised as showing great maturity and surprising proficiency for their age.

After lunch our BTEC Acting students had the opportunity to ask their Russian visitors questions about culture, life and theatre in Moscow before enjoying the production of Hamlet.

They were amazed at the understanding the Russian students had of Shakespearean language and the sheer magic of the production.

A cast of 20 Furness Academy students helped to really bring the work of Shakespeare to life at a special theatre event in November.

Students also benefited from the guidance of representatives of the National Youth Theatre and had the privilege of performing on a professional stage in authentic working conditions, as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival project.

The festival’s intention is – as was Shakespeare’s – to take his work out of the confines of books and classrooms and give youngsters a more rounded appreciation and understanding of the plays.

This annual initiative involves hundreds of students from across the country performing the Bard’s work and our students rehearsed for months before presenting their half-hour adaptation of Twelfth Night at The Forum.

They joined Dowdales School, who performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and our visitors from the Moscow School of Economics, who staged Hamlet in an event at which our students were a credit to Furness Academy.

Twelfth Night

We Love Shakespeare


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‘Academy students enjoy a well-earned trip to Old Trafford to see Manchester United v Athletico Bilbao’

The date, February 2011. The venue, Newcastle Soccerdome, and the Academy’s year 7 five a-side football team, already crowned both Town and County champions achieved a fantastic and very credible 2nd place in the northern regional finals. After losing both opening games the overall result was thanks to a spirited and resilient group of students showing a fantastic attitude to achieving their personal best both individually and for the team.

This result was matched in 2012 by the current year 7 team, who after losing both opening games, again refused to give up and instead chose to dig deep and battle on to achieve a superb 2nd place after some enthralling games which culminated in a scintillating 4-3 win in the last few seconds.

And so, on Thursday 8th of March 2012, twenty three of the Academy’s students stepped into the theatre of dreams, Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, to watch their heroes play in the EUROPA Cup against Athletico Bilbao.

Every one of these students deserves huge credit for both the attitude and level of commitment they have, and continue to show towards the Academy’s football team and also for the mature and respectful way they have always conducted themselves when representing the academy both on and off the field. This trip was no exception. The students seemed to revel in the opportunity to see elite sportsmen performing at close hand and they joined in with the home crowd’s chants vigorously to try and urge United to victory.

A big thanks to all the students in the Year 7 and 8 football squads and let’s make 2012 another successful year.

ACADEMY STUDENTS DESERVED DATE WITH THE THEATRE OF DREAMS

YEAR 7

JACK ELLIOTT

JACK MCGRILLAN

MACAULEY BARCLAY

MACAULEY WOODS

CHRISTIAN SQUIRE

ETHAN WATSON

BEN WATSON

MATTHEW BOYD

NATHAN SHAW

YEAR 8

CALLUM BAYNES

JOSH WOODEND

JACK SHANNON

GRANT JACKSON

BEN COMISH

OWEN WOODBURN

DANIEL SMITH

RYAN RODGERS

JOSHUA TRANTER

TAYLA SMITH

DILLON JAMES

THOMAS CLYNCH

MACAULEY HAMMOND

LEON ABBA


Barrow 8 a side Cricket Town ChampionsOn May 31st Furness Academy South became Barrow Town 8 a side Cricket champions. The competition was held at Furness Cricket Club and Furness Academy (South & North), Chetwynde School, Walney School and Dowdales all entered teams in a hope of winning the competition.

After beating Chetwynde and Walney B in the round robin stage, our South team moved onto the final against a very good Walney team. We scored just 24 runs in our 8 overs after losing wickets (5 runs per wicket lost) along the way. But, after some good early scoring by Walney in reply, our boys started to take wickets constantly and Jack McGrillan had the responsibility of bowling the final over in which Walney only managed two runs giving South team the title.

The boys who took part in this team were:

Nathan Shaw, Jack Elliott, Christian Squire, Jack McGrillan, Matthew Boyd, Jat Ottley, Macauley Barclay, Macauley Wood and Curtis McDonald.

Inter cricket reportOur Girls’ Inter Cricket team travelled to Headingley as Cumbria Champions this year to take part in the North of England Regional Tournament with the carrot being the National Competition at Lord’s in London in May.

Opposition came from schools based in Yorkshire, Cheshire, Durham, Northumberland and Lancashire.

Furness played some great indoor cricket beating Urmston Grammar School and Bridgewater High before a couple of losses, including against the eventual winners, a very strong Holgate School.

However, the girls’ cricket and the way they conducted themselves across the whole day was a credit to us all.

Year 10 t/20 County Cricket ChampionsOur Year 10 Cricket team travelled to Keswick Cricket Club to play in the semi- finals and finals of the County U15 twenty/ 20 cup.

We played Ullswater School, Penrith in the semi-final and overhauled their score of 91 with 3 balls to spare, putting us into the finals against a very strong looking Cockermouth School side.

Put into bat Ryan Griffiths blasted 28 runs off the first over with some of the cleanest hitting ever seen in a T/20 match of any description. He carried on, ably assisted by Robbie Baker, and scored his half century off only 4 overs and the score was 88 off 5 overs for one wicket, meaning the game was essentially over a quarter of the way through the first innings. We finished with 208 and the boys bowled efficiently and effectively leaving Cockermouth well short of the total.

We were awarded the County T/20 trophy by Mr Chris Allason, Cumbria County Cricket Secretary, by my count this is the 5th County Championship in 3 different sports that we have won in the 3 years that the Academy has been open.

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CRICKET REPORT


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Under 14 / Under 16 County NetballKeswick School hosted the under 14 and under 16 county netball finals on consecutive Wednesdays last November.

Both teams had initially performed exceptionally well in the first round of the county competition beating sides from St Bernards, Dowdales, Ulverston and then facing Chetwynde in the finals.

With qualification for the county round completed, both teams undertook intensive training sessions on a weekly basis to ensure that they were prepared for the high standard of games that they would be playing.

Both teams faced stiff opposition from schools including Trinity, Appleby Grammar, Sedbergh, Windermere St Annes, Chetwynde, Keswick, and the eventual winners of both competitions Kirkby Stephen.

With many of the players from the north of the county playing in ladies netball leagues on a weekly basis the standard of the games was incredibly high and fast-paced.

The teams produced some good results, performing really well and playing some excellent fluent netball. Best performers of the tournament for the under 14’s were Maddie Smith and Tyra Woodend, with Ashleigh Bonner and Sarah Kirkby excelling for the under 16’s.

Well done to all who played and good luck for the next one.

International netball trip to Liverpool Echo ArenaOur excited team of netballers and staff set off for Liverpool last November to watch a trilogy of international netball matches including some of the best netball teams in the world; Australia, Jamaica, England, Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand.

In what must have been one of the windiest cities in the UK in November, Liverpool was host to these games, with the vast majority of spectators coming from schools that had travelled to watch games of such a high standard. The girls’ first experience of Liverpool on this day was the large Liverpool wheel, something which would become very familiar to some of the students later in the day!

The games were fantastic with end to end action and the incredible power play quarters which allowed teams to score double points per goal for a quarter of their own choosing.

Upon leaving the arena after the event, Mrs Amison and Mrs Collings in one minibus decided to use their brains and leave Liverpool the way they had arrived. However, the bus driven by

Mr Sargent with Miss Longstaff and Miss Thompson thought they knew better and took an alternative route! Needless to say, as one bus reached Forton services for a well deserved break and a coffee, Mr Sargent’s bus was circling the Liverpool wheel for the third time that evening! Oops!

A great experience for the girls, anyway.

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This season has seen six Academy teams compete in the local youth leagues at the Hoops Basketball Centre on North Site against other local schools on a weekly basis.

Though we’ve had some great successes, the emphasis has been on participation - with all year groups represented at some stage. All teams are inclusive and anyone is welcome to join in, regardless of playing ability or experience. We’re always on the lookout for new players, as well as anyone wanting to get involved from a media perspective.

Perhaps more importantly, these students have had fun and challenging experiences of a fast and furious sport and have been exemplary ambassadors for Furness Academy before, during and after games.

While this season has been superb for all involved, the undoubted jewel in the crown has been the all-conquering Year 9 and 10 combined boys’ team, who have swept all before them in winning a league and cup double. The boys have typified the core values of the Academy in every game; consistently they have shown respect for officials and team-mates as well as responsibility and co-operation as part of a successful team.

Next season Mr. Carton and Mr Pearce are aiming for even bigger and better things for Furness Academy basketball, so come along and get involved in the new school year!

Basketball

This season, we were unbeaten until the very last game which was our only loss - a massive improvement on last year! Every individual in the Academy team has improved so much, whether attacking or in defence. To top the season off, we won the knockout cup and are hoping to enter the national schools competition next year.

Luke McCracken 10SR3


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X-COUNTRY

There have been many wet days this year, but Saturday 16th June, the day of the Cumbria athletics championships, had to be the wettest.

However, that didn’t dampen the spirits of our most talented athletes, who had been selected to represent Furness Academy and Barrow. Sheepmount Athletics Stadium in Carlisle provided the venue and considering the conditions, the standard of performances on the whole was very good.

Connor McPherson ran valiantly in both the 100m and 400m inter boys and Connor Goodings cleared 1m 50cm in very slippery conditions in the junior boys’ high jump.

Oliver Gaitskell finished sixth in the junior boys 400m, and Bradley Jones finished fourth in heat one of the junior boys 100m.

However the academy performer of the day would have to be Jack Ryan who triumphed in the inter boys’ 200m, resulting in representative honours for his county in the North Inter-Counties event. Jack also made it to the final of the 100m, performing well and finishing fourth.

Cumbria Schools'-Athletics Championships

On a typically cold and crisp January day, a team of our students travelled to Birkrigg Common to participate in the Barrow Schools Cross Country Championship.

There were some fantastic performances from students, who gave their all against local opposition, the goal being a place in the Barrow team to compete in the County championships.

The most notable performances came from: Katie Gower 1st Minor Girls; Jessica Wilson 4th Minor Girls; Sophie Killip 2nd Inter Girls; Rebecca Smith 3rd Inter Girls; Nathan Shaw 2nd Minor Boys and Bradley Carroll 5th Inter Boys.

Katie Gower and Jessica Wilson went on to compete for Barrow in the County Schools Championships, with Katie finishing a creditable 23rd and Jessica finishing 48th, both in the minor girls age group.


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After coming through trials at Barrow Leisure Centre, Junior girls and Intermediate boys represented Furness Academy at the ESSA Regional final of the National swimming competition.

Against the best in the North West it was a tremendously exciting evening with the boys going into the final heat in third and looking at a place in the final in Southampton, only to be pushed back to sixth after very strong swims from both Liverpool and Manchester. Still, they came home the fastest team in Cumbria!

Jordan Brooks went on to represent Furness Academy at the ESSA North West Individual Championships on 10 March 2012, coming tenth in the 200m Individual Medley and ninth in the 100m Butterfly.

NORTH WEST REGIONAL HEAT ESSA SENIOR SCHOOLS NATIONAL SWIMMING COMPETITION

The Walney Fun Run FuRness academy Take on The Team challenge

Families, friends and work colleagues donned their running shoes and gave their all to take part in this event, sponsored by Walney Offshore Windfarms and supported by Barrow Borough Council, Friends of Walney, The Park Leisure Centre and the Evening Mail.

Almost 500 fun runners took part in four, 5.1 and 10.2 kilometre events.

Furness Academy, never one to back away from a challenge, entered a school team in the 4km team event, competing against other schools in the Furness area.

Mr Tippins, Director of Community Enrichment and Specialism, had his work cut out selecting two teams of ten staff and ten students, given the numbers coming forward wanting to compete.

The instruction from team captain and science teacher Mr Ian Barnes was simple: “Tactics, as always, are straight forward. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can and when things start going downhill just bury yourself and hang on - piece of cake.”

The select team swept the board in the school challenge, winning the staff and student races, and thus the combined event. The staff team consisted of captain Ian Barnes, second runner back overall Stephen Kelly, Adrian Little, Martin Smith, Paul Carmody, Lynne Joel, Kerryna Travers, Judy Brigg, Linzi Stanway and Mandy Woodburn.

The successful students’ team comprised Neil Aspinal, Jack Ryan, Andrew Kerr, Euan Greenop, Brogan Stewart, Lewis Rea, Luke McCracken, Troy Magee, Jamie Edgley and Kurt Austerfield.


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YOUTH SPORT TRUST GOLD STATUS

TOP-UP SWIMMINGIn May this year, ten Year 7 students were invited to be a part of the Top Up Swimming programme organised by Mrs Wright (SSCO). The scheme, targeted at Year 7 non swimmers, provides the opportunity for them to engage in small group sessions which will help to develop their confidence and enable them to swim 25 metres successfully.

Within the session, older ‘buddies’ are in the water to help to support the swimming coach. Charlie Crawford from Year 9 was an excellent buddy this year offering support and enabling the younger students to feel more confident. This buddy system successfully increases the level of confidence of the non- swimmers and gives the buddy an excellent opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

This year, of the ten students who started the intensive week as non-swimmers, two were able to swim 50 metres, six were able to swim 25 metres and two could swim 10 metres.

A big thank you must go to the Local Committee for Barrow who funded the Top Up Swimming Programme and therefore made it possible. If children are able to swim competently and confidently it opens all sorts of opportunities up to them. Not only is it a life skill, they can use with their family it may also allow them to pursue certain qualifications e.g. BTEC Sport, Outdoor Education, GCSE PE.

Congratulations to the following students who took part: Swimming buddy – Year 9 – Charlie Crawford, Emily Doran, Josh Bernard, Emily Thompson, Matthew Bircher, Lee Wharton, Narla Robinson, Anna Cammock, Demi Highfield, Courtney Morrow, Kirsty Leigh Brown.

Furness Academy in Barrow has become a Youth Sport Trust Gold Partner School in recognition of its commitment to PE and school sport.

Youth Sport Trust Partner Schools can demonstrate how they are delivering high quality school sport and improving the PE experience for every young person. Importantly, they are also using sport to raise achievement levels across the school.

As a partner Furness Academy will receive additional training and development opportunities and can become involved in national education and sport initiatives.

There is a critically important range of educational, health and well-being benefits to be secured from delivering high quality PE and school sport and we see on a regular basis that when sport is delivered well it can transform the lives of a diverse range of students.Principal Douglas Blackledge

Annette Montague, Education Director at the Youth Sport Trust

Youth Sport Trust Partner Schools share our belief that sport changes lives and understand how it can be used across the curriculum to improve attainment. PE and school sport can be a catalyst for young people to live healthy, active lives and we are delighted to be working with schools across the country to support them develop this provision.


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ALBIDANCE WORKSHOP

KAYAKING CHAMPIONSHIPOur team had a very successful time on the water when they paddled their way to a haul of medals, writes Mrs Ward.

Five students represented the Academy in the Barrow Schools’ kayak competition which took place at Duddon Canoe club at Cavendish docks on 31 May. The competition was fierce but we came away with several bronze, silver and golds.

Well done to Shaun Elliott Year 7, Brandon Wilson Year 8, Reece Smith Year 9, Robert Backhouse Year 9 and Eddie Barrow Year 10. Eddie also came away as overall boys’ champion, closely followed by Brandon.

‘Peace and unity’ is the motto used by Albi and both his dance and enthusiasm are completely infectious!

On the 4th, 5th and 6th July, Albi Olivierre travelled from his base in London to deliver exhilarating and thought provoking dance workshops to students from Furness Academy. Albi is by no means your ‘traditional’ dance teacher...dancing for years and now in his 50’s, Albi is perhaps one of the most inspirational and motivational leaders that I have had the pleasure of working with. His themes are forever changing and he enables students to plan, create and perform pieces that could potentially take weeks to perfect in only a few hours!

Albi certainly makes his presence known when he arrives at the Academy, including lunching with the students, high fiving the reception staff and blowing kisses at the domestic and site team! Shy, he is not and it is down to his amazing workshops that many students want him to return year after year, remembering work that they produced with him in primary schools!

Albi dance was amazing. I felt so good and I had so much fun, the music was brilliant and I will do it again.Laura Ursu – Year 7

I would dance again

in front of everybody

because it was fun. I was

scared at first but now I

am glad I have done it

Caitlin Bilton – Year 7

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Furness Academy hosted an ‘Olympic Cultural Celebration’ in July to celebrate the Global gathering of nations this summer for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Staff, students, families and the local community were invited to enjoy this cultural event, with food from around the world and musical theatre performances.

Entertainment also included bouncy castles, face painting, dance mats, and beat the goalie (Mr Carmody!) to name but a few. In addition to this there were top quality live acts on the stage from our Performing Arts students, Deemon Dance Academy and the Lisa Ga Ga tribute act. The weather was conducive to everyone having a great time and the night came to an end with a firework extravaganza.


www.furnessacademy.co.uk 36

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NORTH SITE SPORTS DAYThe rain mercifully stayed away on Tuesday 26th June, allowing students to compete in track and field to try to win points for their house.

With this being the year of the Olympics, Furness Academy PE Department had decided to take the top three competitors from each event through to a ‘Finals Day’ to be incorporated into the Olympic Celebration Day. Unfortunately, the weather resulted in South site sports day and Finals day to be cancelled, but this did not prevent students from North site competing hard for their houses.

Notable performances included Connor Gooding in Year 9 High Jump, Kyle Watterson in Year 8 Shot Putt, Ross Clayton in the Year 9 100m, Chelsea Clarke for the Year 7 80m and Rebecca Simpson Year 8 Shot Putt. All of these students recorded impressive times and distances.

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YEAR 7 ENGLISH RESIDENTIALAT CASTLE HEAD“Posh?! It’s like a five-star hotel!” exclaimed Year 7 student Jordan Williams as we arrived at the sun-drenched Castle Head outdoor centre on Monday 18th June. Students and staff alike were wowed by the first glimpse at our home for the next two days!

As part of the English department’s continued drive to improve standards myself, Mr Greaves, Mrs Woodhouse and organiser-in-chief Miss Thompson took twenty-nine Year 7 students on our inaugural Key Stage 3 residential.

The rationale behind this was to empower targeted students, in this case those joining the Academy with a Level 4c, with the confidence and fundamental literacy skills to succeed in English during their learning journey.

Striking this balance between raising self-esteem and embedding tools which can be applied to all learning experiences in everyday Academy life was one of the key messages we promoted, alongside the invariably enthusiastic and personable staff at the centre.

From the very start, students were challenged out of their comfort zone with friendship, gender and site groups intermixed in a series of unusual yet engaging ice-breaking activities, including lumberjack and Eskimo greetings in order to better acquaint themselves!

In addition to this, students were given a raised level of responsibility, for instance in preparing their own lunches, punctuality and time-keeping, independence with their own iPad for the trip’s blogging output and even making their own beds. Some students were clearly more experienced at this than others…

Shortly, we were immersed in the focus activities of the trip on a carousel basis. These consisted of outdoor pursuits such as a thirty-foot wobbly pole (which I can personally testify is aptly-named!), a forfeit-laden low-ropes course and, of course, the blogging around which our literacy activities were focused.

Surrounded by sprawling tranquillity and the natural beauty of the countryside it was genuinely astonishing and humbling in equal measure to witness what these young learners were capable of in all the aforementioned activities. The camaraderie of all our working groups in tackling the outdoor pursuits was admirable, and every student without fail challenged themselves to redefine their personal best in these.

Over the course of the trip, the procedures and regulations students needed to take heed of with their instructors emphasised key learning responsibilities which are transferable to any environment, most notably the importance of listening to and following instructions.

Perhaps the most challenging activity, and that in which listening skills were most important, was the raft-building challenge. Using just six planks of wood, six barrels and some rope, groups of our intrepid Year 7’s were all able to fashion seaworthy vessels of their own construction. Just being able to do something with this level of independence, and apparent difficulty, was one of the more powerful experiences the students encountered.

Each group had to actually row their own raft around a circuit- never has the phrase “all in the same boat” meant so much to these youngsters! This was the ultimate challenge of their capacity for co-operation, and it was fantastic to see some of the students demonstrate real leadership qualities in uniting the group towards a common goal.

Blogging was without doubt the best possible medium for a trip such as this. The brainchild of Miss Walker and Miss Thompson, this took some initiation with students before the trip, but was wholly worthwhile; it made the outcomes of the literacy sessions instant and that in itself swelled the confidence of the students.

Perhaps even more resonant was the comment facility, which was utilised by the students themselves and those from other schools, Academy staff, parents and carers and even Ros Wilson, the creator of the VCOP framework and Big Writing! This created a real sense of purpose and feeling of being valued; students were taken aback by the effect of such instant feedback from this variety of sources.

All too soon it was the end of the trip, much to the disappointment of students and staff alike, and we wearily made our way back to Barrow in the same stunning sunshine in which we arrived. As a department we hope and envisage we will continue to provide such learning experience for a range of groups within the Academy. Once again, a special thanks must go on behalf of all involved to Miss Thompson for her efforts in organising such a fantastic trip.


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Tuesday 3rd July heralded the second annual poetry competition, held in Auld Hall and Centre Hall simultaneously. All students in both year 7 and year 8 have participated in class poetry reading competitions; the winners then competed in this, the grand final.

The whole aim of the competition is to develop presentational skills, helping all students become confident communicators. The actual event proved a fantastic showcase for the Academy with a number of stunning performances. Students displayed convincing renditions, ranging from comic monologues to more serious poetry. The occasion was enhanced by the musical performances organised by Mr Guntrip, adding a creative dimension to the event.

The competitors really excelled themselves with personal best efforts across the ability range!

It was a privilege to witness such a high standard of performance. The specific skills on show were brilliant with a wide range of poetry performed: from comic poems entitled "Knickers" to more thought provoking pieces.

However, the confidence displayed by all our students really highlighted the importance of such events in the Academy for building presentational skills and self-esteem. This will surely help students later in life to become confident communicators. Incidentally, the audiences were both extremely positive and supportive, helping students to take a risk with their learning in a safe environment.

ANNUAL POETRY COMPETITION

North site winners1st Cai Williams 2nd Zac Jones 3rd Holly Withers 4th Courtney Morrow

North site winners1st Megan Williams 2nd Toby Riddick 3rd Emma Griffiths /Katrina Whitby4th Charlotte Bethell /Rebecca Simpson

South site winners1st Bonham Peacock2nd Emily Thompson3rd Jessica Wilson4th David Whiteside

South site winners1st Callum Baynes2nd Daniel Smith3rd Anna Hedley/Brogan Gleaves4th Alex Patterson /Bradley Painter-Wild / Jareth Johnson /Brandon Wilson /Owen Woodburn

Year 7 winners

Year 8 winners

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www.furnessacademy.co.uk4141

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You’ll note a student in the

photo above with unusual

headwear. It’s not something

of which we’d normally

approve but if you scan the

QR code all will be explained!

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This year we have launched an exciting new project through Learning Groups to encourage all students in Year 7 to spend more time reading for pleasure; and to become life-long lovers of books. The Accelerated Reader Scheme begins with an assessment of students reading levels. Each student in Year 7 completed a Star reading assessment to establish reading levels and used these levels to select appropriate books from over 5000 Accelerated Reader story books in the Academy’s libraries.

When they had finished reading a book, they took a quick comprehension quiz on the computers or iPads, with the chance to earn Accelerated Reader points as well as certificates, vivos and other prizes, if they managed to achieve a pass of 60-85% depending upon difficulty of the text. Students have also been able to access the website and quizzes from home.

There are thousands of books included on the Accelerated Reader Scheme: www.arbookfind.co.uk allows you to search for a particular book and check if there is a quiz available. Each week, Year 7 Learning Group Leaders nominated one of their students as their ‘Reading Star of the Week’ based on effort rather than achievement. Each Reading Star was awarded 100 vivos and their picture featured for a week on the Wall of Fame in each site library.

Most students have been extremely enthusiastic about this scheme and we have raised the profile of reading for pleasure within the Academy, with the support of our excellent library staff, Learning Group Leaders and members of Senior Leadership Team.

In just the first four months of the scheme, the average reading age across the whole year group improved by seven months, which is hoped will be sustained over a longer time period.

Accelerated Reader Success

Reading Mil lionaires Reading stars of the week Reading stars of the week

The Principal, Mr Blackledge, in costume, reads The Gruffalo to Year 7 students.


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On Friday 7th October, the Year 7 Nurture Groups from North and South visited Greengate infants as well as Victoria Infants to take part in the ‘Reading Buddies Scheme.’

Reading Buddies is where the Year 7 children are placed with a group of Year 2 children; we read stories to them followed by activities where they read to us. We think it will improve the groups’ confidence when reading in addition to improving specific skills.

When asked whether the children at the Infants Schools wanted us to come back, it was a resounding ‘YES!!’ The children from both sites gave it a big thumbs up and we visit again on the 21st October.

“On Friday 7th October 2011 Ms Servante’s class walked down to Victoria Infants School to read to the key stage one children. Before we went we discussed the books we should take. Everyone got to pick one and practise. We read to each other to get a feel for what it might be like to read to younger students.

When we got there the playground was full. We were outnumbered and surrounded by little people. They were really excited to see us. Every wall was covered with colourful and creative work. In the kitchen we chomped carrots and scoffed pears while listening to stories.

Finally, we joined their assembly where we learned the actions for their songs. Everyone sat in a horseshoe and we thought that was surprising. Next time we’re going to take a song with actions to teach them.“

READING BUDDIES

We were outnumbered and surr ounded by l itt le people. They were real ly excited t o see us. Every wal l was covered with co lour ful and creative wor k.

Reading Millionaires are exceptional students who have read over one million words on the Accelerated Reader scheme.

They received a certificate and personal visit from Mr Blackledge, and their pictures are immortalised on the Wall of Fame in the Academy’s libraries. At the moment, there are six Reading Millionaires, but there is always room for more. These six students have each read at least 1 million words since January:

Bethany Thornton 7SY2

Courtney Morrow 7NR1

Grace Wetherow 7NY1

Jessica Johnson 7SR1

Joshua Haigh 7NY1

Shannon Etchells 7NY1

READING MILLIONAIRES


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MFL

How many people do you know that can speak a foreign language? Would you be able to communicate with someone in their own language? How would you feel if you could speak to someone in their language?

These were the kind of questions that Year 8 students reflected on during the languages event in November 2011.

With GCSE language entries having taken a nose-dive nationally to only 6% in 2011 it is more important than ever to raise the profile and promote language learning at Furness Academy.

The MFL Super Learning Days initiative was positively received by the students who undertook a range of activities and heard various people talking about the value of languages in further education and for future careers.

“What language am I speaking?” Students were enthralled to hear staff at Furness Academy speaking a foreign language and what made it more captivating was the anticipation of which teacher they would see next during the quiz.

Not many were able to identify Swahili, Urdu or Norwegian but they were successful in recognising a number of European languages. Watching the video about a young lad called Ravi “the Lingokid” from Mumbai also sparked their interest in learning other foreign languages as the realisation sunk in that confidence is one of the key ingredients in the winning formula for language learning!

Students were given the opportunity to learn French, Russian, Italian, Spanish or Danish and in one of the workshops students took part in a video conference with people living in France. They were able to give basic introductions in French and discuss differences and similarities between England and France.

In connection to the theme of sport, students were asked to write and perform a song with the verse in German and the chorus in English. Performances were judged at the end of the day with the following students being successful – Jasmin Turner, Daniel Smith, Declan Slattery, Rowen Sanderson, Kirbi Johnson, Callum McGrady, Lois Graham and Rebecca Douglas.

The event built upon the fun experience students have when learning languages in their classes by instilling a sense of discovery and success while focusing on their own unique abilities and strengths. Students now have a stronger self-belief that learning foreign languages can have a positive impact on their future lives and they have been left with many lasting memories of their “languages experience”.

MFL SUPER-LEARNING

STUDENT TEACHERSOne lesson in May Ms Servante sat down her Year 7 Nurture group and set them the challenge of coming up with a basic introduction to French for older students who had never got on in French, only giving them 1 hour to prepare. Needless to say, the group were at first terrified and then settled quickly to the task.

Natasha organised people into good pairs, we all suggested good topics and at the end of the hour had four really good activities to teach numbers, words, time and colours.

Mrs Roseblade’s COPE group came the next day and after the initial nervousness some excellent learning broke out. Vulnerable and shy Year 7 felt like teaching experts, sharing their knowledge and checking answers. The older students responded supportively, entering into the spirit and trying some French. Ethan led the whole group in learning our ‘Monsieur Pouce’ action rhyme.


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It was our first entry into the Vocab Express National Championship in February this year but about 100 Year 8 German students really did us proud.

Along with students from 199 other schools across the UK and Ireland, they were tested on their ability to translate and spell German words.

Furness Academy were placed in two leagues – German Genius Cup (based on scores of top 25 students) and German Challenge Piccolo Cup (based on total score)

At the end of the event we were delighted with Furness Academy’s fifth place overall.

A particular ‘well done’ to our Furness Geniuses (top 25 students) who all received certificates: Jared Gibbons, Megan Williams, Charlotte Bethell, Emma Griffiths, Lucy Raines, Claudia Denby, Tara Edwards-Doughty, Leah Lishman, Caitlin Anderson, Devon Chapman, Chloe Murray, Rebecca Douglas, Shaney Jones, Jamie Southern, Hannah Pater, Kate Beckman, Abbie Mackin, Jasmine Cargan, Molly Rogan, Lauren McCann, Brandon Wilson, Ellis Dunn, Aimee Stitt, Matthew Rigg and Stacey White.

And special congratulations for the achievements of three students who were awarded top positions: 1st - Jared Gibbons, 2nd - Megan Williams, 3rd - Charlotte Bethell.

MFL INTER SCHOOL QUIZ

VOCAB EXPRESS CHALLENGE

The Furness Academy Year 7 French quiz team of Courtney Morrow, Tom Canavan, Emily Thompson and Rhoann Parker participated in the first ever Furness MFL quiz at the Sixth Form College. St Bernard’s were the eventual victors but there were only a few points between all three teams. Tom Canavan was virtually inconsolable as the last round (which was due to be a European round) was cancelled and he knew every European capital city, population, flag and famous landmark. This was going to be our pièce de résistance.

As was mentioned in the closing speech, it was wonderful to see so much knowledge and enthusiasm. Indeed, our students asked if they could continue to come to the practice sessions in readiness for next year’s competition!

“Competing on the French Quiz was so much fun and made us feel part of a group. It was daunting going up against the other schools but we felt confident, as we had practiced hard. We came third overall, but the last round was cancelled which was disappointing, as we felt this would be our strongest round.” Emily Thompson


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This vector Illustration was created by FreeGrunge.com and it’s 100% royalty free for commercial purposes.You can share it on your site with two backlinks - to FreeGrungecom and to homepage of this vector freebie(use post title as a text for link). You are not allowed to share it without backlinks and sell it on stock sites as your own (take care about your karma).



This vector Illustration was created by FreeGrunge.com and it’s 100% royalty free for commercial purposes.You can share it on your site with two backlinks - to FreeGrungecom and to homepage of this vector freebie(use post title as a text for link). You are not allowed to share it without backlinks and sell it on stock sites as your own (take care about your karma).This vector Illustration was created by FreeGrunge.com and it’s 100% royalty free for commercial purposes.

You can share it on your site with two backlinks - to FreeGrungecom and to homepage of this vector freebie(use post title as a text for link). You are not allowed to share it without backlinks and sell it on stock sites as your own (take care about your karma).

As part of the school’s work experience programme, a cohort of Year 10s from across both sites embarked on a week-long residential army camp at the Fulwood Barracks in Preston.

Participants’ motivations for signing up to the course ranged from completing it as compulsory experience prior to signing up for a career in the Forces to personal discovery and self-esteem purposes.

The group were unsure of what to expect but being marched to their quarters by the staff was a swift introduction.

The students’ first challenge was to make their own beds to Army standards. They were also issued with their uniform for the week; straight away they looked the part for their next mission…

Along with counterparts from Golbourne School near Wigan, they were soon tackling the assault course with obstacles including a rope-swing, vaulting a four-foot wall, scaling a thirty-foot net and crawling through a cramped tunnel.

It had been daunting for some at first but they tackled it with determination and, such was their enjoyment of it, all students had several more attempts after this, improving on their times on each occasion. This empowered all the students with a real sense of achievement, and heightened their confidence significantly.

In their free time, the students from both schools merged together whether through watching TV, chatting in the social areas outside or through the universal language of football.

Other activities during the visit included work with Army equipment, camouflage exercises, a 1.5 mile run, a strategic night-time target gathering exercise, first aid and even food preparation.

Army staff were effusive in their praise for students and, while many arrived at camp harbouring ambitions of a career in the forces, more were keen after they’d experienced the week-long camp.

All of the staff involved, Mr Pearce, Mr Carton, Miss Maire and Miss K. Smith were extremely proud of all the students who took part in this week. The students worked tirelessly with each other and showed respect, great team work, some even showing amazing leadership qualities by taking control and giving out orders in their group.

WORK EXPERIENCE SUCCESS

ARMY

Work experience can be one of the most significant and valuable week long experiences of a student’s school life. Year 10 embarked upon their work experience in July, having completed a number of preparation lessons in Personal Development.

Work experience gives students a genuine taste of a real working environment and can often act as an extra incentive for students to focus their efforts in their GCSE courses, as it can give them an indication of what they need to do once they leave school. This year, yet again, has been incredibly successful, and many success stories have emerged as a result.


DAVID HARDIE’S WORK EXPERIENCEDavid Hardie went to Surestart Children’s Centre for his work experience, and was so successful, he was invited back to help with the summer holiday activities.

David showed organisation and initiative when setting up the centre for the different toddler activities, and clearing up afterwards. The staff commented that David had groups of children enthralled with his story telling about Dinosaurs and other topics. The staff commented that having David was like having another member of staff. David worked in three different childrens centres around the area and took it all in his stride.





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Public Services was a new course introduced in September, providing students with a BTEC Level 1 qualification. This allowed students to gain knowledge and understanding of the range of Public Services and their roles within the community. Similar to ASDAN and COPE courses, it gave students the opportunity to develop a range of personal skills including team-building, leadership and communication. The activities include building a portfolio of evidence and then participating in experiential learning both inside and outside the classroom environment.

ASDAN, COPE and Public Service courses have been very rewarding and valuable to students, and additional qualifications have been gained as a result of completing these courses, such as ‘The John Muir Award’ working in conjunction with The Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Students have also raised money for a number of charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, St Mary’s Hospice and the RNLI.

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TDRAGON’S DEN CHALLENGEMiss Brown comments, students at Furness Academy, regularly engage in fund raising and charitable giving, and with this in mind, the whole of Year 9 took part in the Giving Nation Challenge during their Personal Development lessons this year.

The aim of the challenge is to promote awareness of charities within the local community and further afield by marketing a product, starting a campaign or raising funds through an event. Students formed their own groups and spent time, both in and out of lessons, researching their cause and forming detailed plans about how they could best spend a £250 loan to achieve their goal. Only two groups could qualify to claim the £250 and were required to pitch their ideas to a Dragon’s Den style panel, demonstrating that they had prepared budget sheets and costings, tackled advertising and had researched their target market. The students were extremely impressive in their depth of knowledge, passion and preparation, leading to a bitterly fought contest, despite nerves and stage fright.

A Business Studies class were also tasked with presenting their product to a panel of ‘Dragons’, when they were told to create a new school mascot, scan here to see how they got on:


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Our new building made from cross laminated timber

technology leading the way

Creating great illusionswith photoshop

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INNOVATION & LOOKINGTO THE FUTURE

Innovation Transforming learning Photograph manipulation The Future New build Turf cutting ceremony

Transforming learningThe iPads have landed, now let’s get using them!

Turf cuttingLaying the foundations for a great school future.

P hotograph manipulationI see it – but I real ly can’t believe it!


TRANSFORMING EDUCATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE MANAGED ICT SERVICES INCLUDING GAIA 3D

TEL: 0845 8674792 EMAIL: [email protected] WWW.GAIA3D.CO.UK


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2011 was the year that the iPads landed in Furness Academy. They have transformed teaching and learning in every subject area.

For example, in PE, apps have been built and ‘UberSense’ has enabled students to build on and develop their own skills and performance; the Accelerated Reader app has supported and enhanced the brilliant work which is being done to improve engagement with reading among our Year 7 and 8 students; and students across subject areas have written and published their own iBooks using apps such as Creative BookBuilder.

Our Year 6 partner schools have also benefitted. We have visited both Year 5 and Year 6s to offer iPad taster afternoons and these will continue in 2012-13. We also hosted a hands-on workshop session for our primary colleagues, allowing them to ‘get to grips’ with this new and exciting kit.

This year saw the introduction of a new learning tool at Furness Academy, our 3D suite. The benefits of 3D learning have been widely publicised over the last few years. The recent 3D in

Education white paper found that 82% of students had improved grades when they had been taught using 3D lessons. Furness Academy boasts the only 3D suite in the North West that is currently in education. The introduction of this has been a huge success. Some of the ways the 3D suite has been used can be seen below.

Many teachers and students have used the content we currently have in some very inventive ways. One of the drama classes used the 3D World War One trenches as a backdrop for a performance in which they created their own backstory and performed in front of the screen. English classes have used the 3D pond as inspiration for creative writing, as students imagined themselves as frogs and used some of their English descriptive tools such as metaphors and similes to describe what their thoughts would be as they swam. We look forward to the many inventive ways the 3D suite can be used in education for the coming school year and especially as we look towards its expansion as we move to the new building in autumn 2013.

INSPIRATIONAL TEACHING +INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES = TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNING


NEW BUILDTURF CUTTING CEREMONYOn 27th March 2012, the turf-cutting for the new build took place. After years of planning, it’s now very exciting to see the work on the new build commence. Kier are making great progress, in spite of the inclement weather! During the summer holidays, the cross-laminate timber frame will be erected and, when staff and students return in September, they will be invited to tour the new build as it progresses throughout the year. You can follow the progress of our new build via our website.

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Year 8 had been looking at Photograph manipulation and faking images. I decided to teach them some advanced features of Photoshop to help them to fake their own images. I started by showing them how I got myself stuck on the wall! writes Miss Catterall

Students then participated in the photo shoot, used Adobe Bridge to view the RAW images and then opened them in Adobe Photoshop. They worked with layers, adding layer masks to add in and remove sections of the images. They have used Spot removal, selection tools, paint and eraser tools to add to the images they were constructing.

All students seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the process.

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100%attendance

out of school success

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY AT FURNESS ACADEMY


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REWARDS, RECOGNITIONS & SUCCESS

Stories Vivo miles high achievers Student of the week Barrow Borough Sports Council Awards BAE mentoring Attendance Year 11 100% attendance Student success out of school Student responsibility Academy awards evening

V ivo miles highPraise, points and rewards for deserving students.

Student responsibilityStep forward our remarkable young leaders.

Attendance

Good attendance is the key to success and academic achievement.

BAE MentoringMentored students ‘should be proud of themselves’ says company director.

Awards eveningEnsuring our students’ achievements are publicly and appropriately praised.

Student success

Making their mark with a variety of talents out of school.


EVERY DAY, 1.3 BILLION PEOPLE TRUST KIMBERLY-CLARK’S BRANDS AND THE SOLUTIONS THEY PROVIDE TO ENHANCE THEIR HEALTH, HYGIENE AND WELL-BEING.

TEL: 01229 495001 WWW.KIMBERLEY-CLARK.COM


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Vivo Miles is the school’s online reward system, allowing teachers to give praise and points to students within their classes on a daily basis. Students can choose how to spend their points, whether it is on items such as stationery or sports gear or even music and vouchers. There is also an option to donate their points to charity as 1 vivo or point equals one pence.

It is very easy to study the data to see which students are earning the most points or Vivos, and to analyse the different reward categories. This year, students have been awarded certificates, on a weekly basis, for becoming the top vivo earner in a week, hence becoming prince or princess for KS3 or King and Queen for KS4. Special recognition was given this year to the students who won the most vivo points within the academic year for their achievements and effort within lessons, and they were awarded certificates in the end of year achievement assemblies.

VIVO MILESHIGH ACHIEVERS

Matthew Allewell, David Allewell, Caitlin Anderson, Courtney Anderson, Edward Barrow, Katie Beckman, Josh Bernard, Joshua Bickerdike, Shantelle Bower, Kirsty-Leigh Brown, Aimee Brown, Daryl Campion, Gareth Carter, Thomas Coates, Rebecca Cornick, James Cottam, Shannon Coward, RoRoxanne Davies, Sydny Davies, Roxanne Davies, Lewis Devitt, Logan Fraser, Jared Gibbons, Connor Goodings, Keanon Graham, Georgia Graham, Emma Griffiths, Liam Haines, Macauley Hammond, Ellie Hayhurst, Faye Herbert, Daniella Hickey, Damon Hill, Laura Hunter, Megan Hutton, Euan James, Jareth Johnson, Jessica Johnson, Zachary Jones, Michael Kendall, Ben Keys, Hayley Knowles, Connor Light, Matthew Lomas, Tavis Macmillan-Fraser, Dale Mallett, Billy Mason, Matthew McCelland, Jack McGrillan, Ryan McLeese, Emmee McMillan, Liberty Mellor, Ross Melville, Chloe Miller, Ellie Moran, Courtney Morrow, Brandon Mould, Lucy Murphy, David Nelson, Bradley Niblock, Melissa Olliver, Hannah Pater, Alex Patterson, Antonia Pearce-Sharples, Joseph Phizacklea, Jade Rae, Daniella Read, Abby Readhead, Kallam Robson, Connor Rosingara, Emily Scott, Rosie Shepherd, Erin Silver, Sophie Smith, Jonathan Spiers, Christian Squires, Mitchell Stewart, Dylan Struckman, Wing Sun, Jamie Thompson, Jordan Wallace, Melody Watson, Liam Watson, Nikki Weall, Grace Wetherow, Jack Wheeler, Katrina Whitby, Coen White, Stacey White, Cai Williams, Liam Williams, Joe Wilson, Natasha Wilson, Brandon Wilson, Savannah-Jayne Wood, Macauley Woods, Josh Wootton, Josh Zaccarini.

Student of the Week is a new initiative introduced this academic year, allowing staff to nominate one student from all of the classes they teach, who has demonstrated academy values and been outstanding with their effort and attitude. Staff had the opportunity to nominate just once in every term, on a rota basis, and the successful students receive a congratulatory letter home, vivo miles and feature on a display within school. The following is a list of successful students since the new initiative began:

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

We also held Learning Group Leaders Awards, scan the code to see our winners.


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This year, Joe Johns from North Site won the Barrow Borough Sports Council award for Young Volunteer of the Year. Joe was rewarded for his maturity and his ability to always put the needs of others before his own. Through volunteering, Joe has developed in confidence into a helpful, solid leader.

As well as Joe winning the award, Brogan Stewart, Sarah Kirkby and Theerapat Neuto were shortlisted. This is an excellent achievement for so many young sports volunteers to be recognised for their hard work.

Furness Academy received nominations within other categories, including team of the year for the successful Year 7 football squad.

BARROW BOROUGH SPORTS COUNCIL AWARDS


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STUDENTS BUOYANT AFTER SHIPYARD INSIGHT

Nine students from Furness Academy were able to prepare for their GCSE examination this summer with a massive boost in confidence and application, thanks to working with BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines volunteers over nine weeks to build model submarines demonstrating the principles of buoyancy.

Eight of them proudly showed what they had learnt at a special open night in the Barrow shipyard where parents, Furness Academy staff and Submarines personnel saw the students dive, surface and hover their boats in a giant water tank.

Principal Douglas Blackledge said the students were lucky to have a “world leader in engineering” on their doorstep. “All of the things they have learnt here will live longer in their memory than the things we are trying to teach them!” All of the students had faced particular challenges with elements of schooling and he believed the confidence they had gained from this project would carry through to their examination preparations.

Submarines Operations Director Alan Dunn, who sponsored the project, said: “The aim was to inspire confidence and capability, so congratulations to you guys for completing this programme. You should be proud of yourselves.” Some of the students had shown interest in coming back as an apprentice, and Alan said if just one of them did so it would be more than he had ever hoped for from the project.

Paul thanked the Submarines personnel who had given their time and experience to help the students gain skills in marking out, cutting and shaping material, as well as exposure to “role model behaviours” in completing a project.


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100% attendance

The following Year 11 students achieved 100% attendance at Furness Academy, a time period of three years.

Kane Bonham - 11NG2Melissa Curtis - 11NG1Chloe Gawlik - 11SG2Daniel Johnson - 11SR1Lee McQuistan - 11SB2Ryan Muncaster – 11NG1Michael Scott – 11SR2Ryan Sharkey – 11SB1Lauren Connell – 11SB2

Furness Academy’s Attendance target is 95% which is equivalent to no more than 9 days absence per student per academic year. Our target is to achieve better than this because we know that good attendance is the key to success and academic achievement.

We are delighted that this year 835 students have attendance at or above the Academy target and 199 students have achieved an outstanding 100% attendance.

The Academy has a balanced approach to improve Attendance and we are committed to supporting our students to reach their personal best. The Attendance rewards scheme has been enthusiastically supported by our students and we believe our multi-facetted approach is starting to make a significant difference to our students’ attendance.

This year our best attending students received Easter eggs, limited edition purple star blazer pins, chocolate gold medals, prize draws for cinema vouchers, Lazerzone passes, photo shoot, Go Karting, and all students who achieved 100% have received a “Fully Charged” battery blazer pin. The best attending Learning Groups had ice creams and other sweet treats on Fridays and our overall Learning Group winner had Afternoon Tea with their Learning Group Leader.

Students at the Academy understand that regular Academy attendance is vital to achieve their personal best and next year we have more exciting rewards to help support and encourage our students to strive for outstanding attendance.

ATTENDANCE


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STUDENT SUCCESS OUT OF SCHOOL

Jordan BrooksSwimmer/footballerJordan is a very talented all-rounder. She excels in swimming, football, cross country and athletics as well as singing and dancing. She has achieved 12 personal bests this year alone in her swimming and was invited to play for Westmorland County FA Development Centre after football trials. She is also a deputy house leader and leading student and had a part in the highly successful Beauty and the Beast production.

Tasmin CrookAthlete

Tasmin is a talented athlete and competes for Barrow and Furness Striders Athletics Club. Her most notable athletic achievements include silver medals in the Cumbria County Championships for the sprint and 800m events and gold medal performances at county Level for the 800m and long jump. Tasmin has also won the Barrow Schools Cross Country event and has achieved 3 AAA standards for the disciplines of 150m, 200m and 800m.

Edward BarrowMarine Cadets – Kayaking

Eddie is a talented kayaker and his achievements have recently come in the National Cadet Kayaking Competition where he claimed a bronze medal in the singles and a silver medal in the mixed doubles.

Megan St John-PerryGymnast

Megan is an accomplished Gymnast and her most recent and notable achievement came when she won a silver medal in the Cumbria Intermediate Championships, competing for Furness Gymnastics Club. Megan managed the top score for the floor routine, and she claimed her silver medal with a score of 38.220.

Katie GowerKarateKatie excels in Karate, and recently won a bronze medal, competing against girls from all round the country in the EMA Karate Championships in Sheffield. Katie is also an accomplished swimmer.

Megan AinsworthGymnastMegan competes in Gymnastics for Furness Gymnastics Club and she recently achieved 3rd place in her first novice two piece competition. This included bars and vault routine.

Bradley CarrollFootballer

Bradley plays for Manchester United and has captained their under 15 team. This year, he has travelled to Holland to take part in the ‘Marveld International tournament’ playing against PSV, Liverpool, Marseille, FA Ghana and SV Grol. In the semi-final, the team beat Feyenoord on penalties and narrowly lost the final, playing Bayer Leverkusen. This was the highest position Manchester United under 16s had finished in ten years. Most recently, Bradley has travelled to China to play in the Manchester United Premier Cup in Shanghai.

Tayla SmithMotocross

Tayla was Motocross Champion in the 85cc Class last year in the 11-14 age group. He then moved up two classes to the adult Rookie class in the 16-19 age group on a 125cc bike, placing him as the youngest registered rider with the ACU MCF organisations within the UK. Tayla is currently second in the Championship for the north-west and is also running in the top five in the all Cumbrian Championships. Next year, Tayla will be racing in the British National events and in Europe.


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Brandon WilsonMusician/Kayaking

Brandon has passed his grade 1 and 2 rock school examinations for guitar and is currently working towards his grade 3. He recently progressed onto the violin, and has made public appearances including the Ulverston Carnival. He has also performed as part of the Furness Academy community Ceilidh band at St James Church. Brandon is also a successful Kayaker, his most recent achievements winning promotion to Division 3, finishing 3rd in the 6.5 kilometre race at Chester in the K2 and most notably, winning a National Competition becoming Wavehopper Champion beating paddlers from all regions of the country.

Lewis DevittPerforming Arts

Lewis Devitt has a wide variety of interests, including the 71/4 Gauge Society, for people interested in miniature railways. Other activities include St John Ambulance First Aid Cadets and Walney Juniors Amateur Dramatic Society. Who can forget his memorable performance as Beast in the school production, ‘Beauty and the Beast’. As a vocalist, Lewis gave a show-stopping rendition of ‘This is the Moment’ from the musical Jekyll and Hyde, helped him secure second place in the Lakes Got Talent competition. More than 40 acts auditioned for South Cumbria’s biggest show with the final taking place at Coronation Hall, Ulverston.

Sophie KillipFootballer

Sophie Killip is making rapid progress in the world of women’s football, the fastest growing sport for girls and women. Sophie travels to play for Preston North End Women’s Junior team, who have recently won the West Lancashire League Trophy, League Cup and Lancashire Cup.

Sophie travelled to the USA with the Preston team at Easter to play in the Dallas Girls International Cup, where teams from America, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia competed. Sophie’s preferred position is centre of midfield, but has also played several important games at centre half.

Brogen StewartAthlete/ Volunteer

Brogen shows dedication and commitment in everything she does, from lessons, to her sporting efforts and passing on her knowledge to youngsters through her volunteer work. Brogen competes for her school, for Barrow and the county and recently was in the cross-country team that finished fourth in England. Brogen is now concentrating on heptathlon. She was nominated in the ‘Love Barrow Awards’ for her voluntary work and was invited to join John Woodcock and three other students at the Olympic Torch event in Bowness.

Jack RyanFootballer/Athlete

Jack is currently at Preston North End, after being offered a two year scholarship. Jack plays centre forward and last season, finished top goal scorer. Although his life is very hectic with training, travelling and studying, he has seized the opportunity and is determined to succeed.

Jack has also been extremely successful with his athletics. He recently competed in the inter-school athletics at Carlisle, coming 1st in the 200m final for Cumbria. He went on the following week representing Cumbria in the Northern Regional Athletics. Jack was leading with 25m to go but was just caught on the line and finished a creditable 3rd.

Josh SingletonPerforming Arts

Joshua has had a very successful year in the world of performing arts.It started with the very well received Academy performance of Beauty and the Beast playing the part of Lumiere. He followed this up by receiving a merit from the Trinity Guild for performing Blood Brothers. Josh went on to collect Best Actor from Deemon Academy for his leading role in Billy Elliot and also collected the Principals award for an outstanding year of contribution for the Deemon Academy. Josh, who also attends SLP College for Performing Arts at Leeds once a month.

Matthew MooreBadminton

Matthew, a talented badminton player, broke into the senior team for St Luke’s Badminton Club and since then, has gone from strength to strength. He won the open-age Horner Singles Trophy and he now has regular coaching at Penrith with County Coaches. He was recently selected for the under 17 County team to play and Inter-County Tournament. The standard of this is very high, with 40 counties invited to enter. Cumbria finished 26th, their highest ever placing.

Kyle MarklewGolfer

Fourteen year old Kyle is a member of the Cumbria County under 16 team and he plays off a handicap of 9. He is a member of Barrow-in-Furness Golf club and has won many trophies, including most recently the Bardsea Cup at Ulverston.

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STUDENTRESPONSIBILITYStudent responsibility has always been regarded as a vital component of Furness Academy’s core values: respect; responsibility; cooperation; personal best. There are opportunities for students to take on leadership roles within the school, from being a prefect or Head boy and girl within Year 11, to house leader or a member of student voice. Physical Education also allows students to become captains and sports leaders and now we have literacy ambassadors in Year 8, assisting with the highly successful Accelerated Reader scheme. Student responsibility opportunities continue to develop, resulting in a supportive and vibrant school community in which both staff and students work together to improve the educational experience of the young people of Barrow.

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Furness Academy, Barrow’s biggest secondary school, celebrated a massive GCSE improvement last Summer, and the successful former students attended the ceremony to be publicly praised for their achievements.

Furness Academy held its prize giving at ‘The Forum’ and some of the awards were presented by representatives from the academy sponsor organisations, including Anne Attwood, principal of Furness College, David Batten, principal of Barrow Sixth Form College, and Janet Whitworth, director of human resources at University of Cumbria.

This was Furness Academy’s second annual award evening, and Mr Douglas Blackledge, principal of the Academy, said...

FURNESS ACADEMY AWARDS EVENING

It is important to show

to our students, parents

and wider community, the

immense value we place on

our students’ endeavours.

Receiving the award from Anne Attwood V ice Principal - Kevin Gil l

Principal - Douglas Blackledge Endeavour Award - Year 8



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C ommitment to school sport and outstanding perforamnce award Attainment Award - Year 8

Attainment Award - Year 10

Musical interlude

Mr Blackledge with the head boys and head girls

Outgoing head boys and head girls Progress Award - Year 7

Progress Award – Year 8 Progress Award – Year 10

Musical interlude Musical interlude

Oustanding performance in public examination Award

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Well done everyone!

Endeavour Award - Year 9

Endeavour Award - Year 7

IC T Award - For outstanding achievment in exceeding target grades Health and social care award Proud winners

Proud winnersAttainment Awards - Year 9

Endeavour AwardAsdan Award - for sustained effort and achievement

Progress Award - Year 9Attainment Award - Year 7

Language Award - Outstanding effort and commitment in french

Anne Attwood presents the Languages Award


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CHARITY – OUR GENEROUS STUDENTS

C offee morningFor a great fund-raising idea, this real ly took the biscuit!

Operation Christmas childMaking sure needy children have at least one gift to unwrap.

Kodhobari school

How we’re helping Indian vil lage children enter the digital age.

Build AfricaHard working students packed in a lot of energy for this worthy cause.

Sponsored walkPutting in the miles to help the plight of animals in danger.

Elderly Christmas party

Generations come together at this fun festive event.

Charity & Good causes Coffee morning Build Africa Kodhobari school Elderly Christmas party Operation Christmas Child Sponsored walk


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GOOD CAUSESStaff and students at Furness Academy have, over the past year, yet again demonstrated their generosity and dedication to raising money and giving of their time for good causes.

Various events have taken place this year, including coffee mornings, sponsored silence and walks, bag packing within the local community, hosting a Christmas party for local residents and collecting for Christmas hampers, cake sales, collecting and sending shoeboxes for children in Crimea, provided internet facilities for children in India and so on. Here is a collection and description of just some of the events which have taken place this academic year.

Coffee MorningAs part of the ASDAN bronze award, a group of north site Year 8 students were involved in the planning and delivery of a charity coffee morning.

Although nervous at the thought of entertaining a large group of staff, when the doors opened, the students soon settled into their roles, even going over to Tower to entice staff away from the staff room!

They even set up a delivery service for staff who were unable to leave their classrooms. Over 30 members of staff attended, raising almost £40 for our chosen charity, St Mary’s Hospice.

The students involved were delighted with this, and decided that they definitely needed to be rewarded for their efforts with some of the leftover cakes and biscuits!

Build AfricaA group of students from all year groups and both sites helped to raise money for our school, ‘Build Africa’ and our Link primary school. The students helped the general public pack their shopping at Morrisons supermarket. It was a fun couple of nights and the students managed to raise an impressive £520 over two nights.

It was lovely speaking to members of the public and hearing all the positive comments about our students. One lady said: “It’s so nice seeing the students from Furness Academy out and about, doing things in their community and helping to raise money for charities. They all look so smart in their uniforms.”


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Kodhobari School During my 12 month stay in India teaching English as a Second Language my parents came out to visit me, writes Simon Tinning.

In October 2007 they set out, intrigued, and probably a little worried about how the living conditions and quality of life would be. Their primary concern at the time was for my well-being and seeing me around two stone lighter than when I set off their reservations were justified. I’d lost a lot of weight due to a prolonged illness probably caused by the quality of water there. Fortunately for me though I was well looked after by a local family during my stay there. So, having seen the effects of the poor water quality first hand and wanting to help the community in some way, my Dad decided to attempt to improve the underlying issues surrounding water quality and availability.

And so began a series of voluntary and charitable projects, the aim of which were to provide improved facilities for the people of the tea estate villages. These projects ranged from building new water storage tanks; rainwater harvesting with filters to ensure potable water was available year round; healthcare resources such as stretchers, diabetes monitoring equipment and general medical supplies and improved school facilities such as a new roof, new toilets, an electricity and water supply, and other general improvements.

These series of projects have allowed us to build a close relationship with the staff and pupils of Kodhobari School. Through this relationship it was clear that the school would benefit from improved access to technology now that electricity had been provided. So, it was with this in mind that we approached the Academy to request the donation of a number of laptops. As a result of this request we were able to hand over three laptops to the school and one laptop to the Health Care workers in the village.

Further to this, ICT skills tuition has been provided for the staff and children to ensure that the laptops are used as effectively as possible for their educational needs. This tuition is from a local provider who has agreed to provide sessions on a daily basis for a period of 3 months. Internet access has also been provided in the form of wireless dongles and monthly SIM card payments. And in addition to this the electricity charges have been paid upfront for the next 12 months. All these measures were put in place in an attempt to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the project.

After the handover of the laptops and the other resources it was humbling to receive a heartfelt letter from the Head Mistress. In this she conveyed her gratitude of how these facilities were a first for any school in the area and how pleased she is that the children have been brought into the Digital Age. So now, these children, in a remote and rural part of India, now have the opportunity to connect with and learn from and about the rest of the world over the Internet.


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Elderly Christmas PartyDecember 2011 saw the first of what we hope will be an annual event, when the Learning Improvement Zone students and staff teamed up with Mrs Rushton’s and Mrs Irwin’s catering groups to host a Christmas party for 25 elderly local residents in partnership with Age Concern.

The Inclusion Team Leader, Mrs Blackledge, said: “It was fantastic to see young and not quite so young coming together to celebrate Christmas in this way. Furness Academy Singers entertained with some carols and even Santa (in the form of Mr Tippins) put in a special appearance to hand out some early gifts. Academy students ran a festive bingo session and a wonderful time was had by all.”

Some of the elderly guests commented that they really appreciated the effort the Academy had gone to and they particularly valued the opportunity of coming together and having a fun-packed afternoon.

Sponsored WalkAaron Christian’s admiration of Bear Grylls, love of animals and the passion to be famous led Aaron and Mr Ian Chatfield to attempt a sponsored walk from Furness Academy (south site) to Dalton Castle and back again.

Aaron was praying for bad weather and he got it in buckets! There were dark clouds, wind, rain and even a hint of snow. Aaron decided to raise money for the local RSPCA to help animals in danger, with massive support from the staff at the L.I.Z. (Learning Improvement Zone). All the T.A.s and staff sponsored them and they managed to raise a whopping £168.50 which Aaron handed over to the Barrow RSPCA manager, Sue Pilkington.

Students donate their vivo miles for good causesThe following amounts were raised by students who donated their vivo miles (online reward system) to charity.

Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group

Total amount raised = £1,121,21 raised by students of Furness Academy in Ramsden House, most notable Ross Blackley. The amounts raised allowed Joanne Ellis, mother of Jake Ellis who passed away, to exceed her target of £50,000, for her fund, ‘The Jake Ellis Memorial Fund’.

The Jane Tomlinson Appeal£99.69 raised by students of Furness Academy in Tomlinson House

DebRA£239.12 raised by students of Furness Academy in Kennedy House

St Mary’s Hospice£219.67 raised by students of Furness Academy

Livestrong£219.02 raised by students of Furness Academy in Armstrong House

Operation Christmas ChildOnce again this year Furness Academy took part in Operation Christmas Child. Each Learning Group filled a shoebox with a range of goodies including toiletries, toys or clothing. These boxes were then collected by Rosemary Webster, one of the district coordinators for Samaritan’s Purse. This year the boxes from Cumbria were heading for children in Crimea.

As an Academy we collected nearly a hundred boxes, Miss K. Smith’s group completed fifteen of these! This means that children who may otherwise have received nothing this Christmas had at least one gift to unwrap.


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LIZ StudentsCoffee morningSt Mary’s Hospice

Sheltered shopping in association with Furness Lions for people in residential homes

Christmas Charity Concert for Furness Homeless (Furness Academy Singers)

Christmas Hampers for needy local residents (whole school)

£47.70 Coffee morningMacmillan Cancer Support

£109

Cake saleTaylor’s Battle Charity/ Niemann-Pick Disease

£25

Name the Teddy BearStudent VoiceBuild Africa Appeal

£76Cake SaleFGH Children’s Ward

£60

£40Selling ice cream, popcorn and football cards at the showStudent VoiceBuild Africa Appeal

Sponsored WalkRNLI – Public Services Group

£215

£196.47

Sponsored SilenceThe Bluebell Charity

£80.20Charity coffee morningAsdan Bronze Award GroupSt Marys Hospice

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kennedy houseyear 11 badminton

Tomlinson houseBAKE A CAKE

RAMSDEN house

year 7 football

ARMSTRONG houseBAKE A CAKE

kennedy houseyear 7 football


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KennedyFrom maths and spel ling to Wii and Dance Mat, kudos for Kennedy.

Results tableRed, yel low, green or blue – what wil l next year bring for you?

Ramsden

In poetry, maths, footbal l and netbal l, champions Ramsden reign.

TomlinsonBowling, baking, swimming and al l-round teamwork bring trophies to Tomlinson

WinnersTrophies for the cabinet, the smiles of success.

Armstrong

Blue ribbons in run-around, dead ly dodge-bal l and fan-tastic footbal lers for amazing Armstrong.

House teams Kennedy Tomlinson Ramsden Armstrong Results table Winners and trophy


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TEL: 01229 431605 MOB: 07714 099414


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This year has been a good year for Kennedy House. Kennedy House across both sites have enjoyed success in a number of Inter house events as follows:

13 1st places 9 2nd places 10 3rd places 14 4th places

In the House championship Kennedy House look set to claim 3rd place by the end of the year with 113 points. We have won individual competitions such as Jenga, Go karting, Year 9 dance mats and Spelling Bee, Maths challenge, Year 7 Run-around, Year 9 Dodge ball and KS3 Wii Sports.

Mr Carton and Mrs Evans were impressed with the determination of all Kennedy students in all events. On numerous occasions the difference between first, second, third and fourth was minimal. As well as this Kennedy House have maintained the highest attendance percentage all year with 93.6% for North Site and 92.6 for South Site. Well done

In the cake competition, Adam Thompson, Aimee Lowther, Euan Greenop, and Brandon Wilson produced an enormous scrumptious sponge cake (we had enough to last all week). All though Kennedy House didn’t win, a fantastic time was had by all.

There have been a number of students who have really excelled in relation to levels of participation.

Caitlin Bilton 16 Meggan Kennedy 9

Katie Gower 13 Josh Zaccarini 8

Chelsea Clark 12 Dillon James 9

Leah Lishman 5 Leon Abba 7

Keelan Ward 9 Jordan Ashton 7

Mr Carton and Mrs Evans would like to thank Katie Read, Euan Greenop, Aimee Lowther Brandon Wilson, Lily Mills, Claudia Denby, Lara Schofield, Anna Lewis, Rachael Biggs, Kane Frazer, Georgina Bird and Adam Thompson for all the help and support each and every one gave to Kennedy House. On a daily basis they helped the Inter-house competition run smoothly by collecting names of students, set up activities and help officiate.

Mrs Evans has now left the Academy. She will be dearly missed. Kennedy House sends her best wishes and good luck for the future.

Mr Caton and Mrs Evans


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This was the first year of the new House Championship and we’re really pleased to be say that Tomlinson came second! The students made the start of this brilliant competition what it is and all should be thanked for their hard work.

We have been helped on the way by our wonderful House Leaders and Deputies. Well done to Gemma Rogerson, Jamie Edgley, India Humphrey, Emily Shields, Lucy Gregory and Brogen Gleaves on South and Jake Higgins, Kim Bower, Ryan Muncaster, Carli Harris, Matthew Rigg and Meg Norris on North. Good luck to our Year 11 in the future from Tomlinson House.

65% of the House took part in an event and you did us proud with your team spirit and winning attitude. From bouncing your way through Trampolining to ducking and diving into victory in Dodgeball, quizzing in Runaround to Spelling in the Bee, Dancing on the Dancemats to speeding through the swimming gala, you have been brilliant!

Throughout the year we have been able to rise to the challenge when needed, never more so than during the Bake a Cake competition. From the start it was obvious that the calm, calculated approach shown by the Tomlinson students was going to enable us to come out on top. The group mixed up the perfect recipe for success to produce the perfect cake (agreed by the judging panel). The event was all the sweeter because it was a joint site event. Well done to Jamie, Gemma, Vanessa, Lauren, Meg and Matthew who were ready to cook for Tomlinson.

As a House we were leagues ahead of the other houses with our skill and enthusiasm in the 10 pin bowling contest. We battled throughout the competition to strike it lucky and win the match, even with the handicap of ‘twinkle toes Leece’ and ‘Bowling Rowland’! Well done to Harrison, Amy, Matthew and Tyler for their 100% effort in this competition.

Some of our students definitely went above and beyond in taking part for Tomlinson last year and big thanks go to Tyler Forsyth, Matthew Rigg and Bradlee Davies of North site (who all took part in 10 or 11 activities each!) and Curtis McDonald, Jessica Wilson and Amy Clarke (who took part in 10 to 12 events!) from South site.

Mr Leece and Miss Rowland

A quick note from Miss Rowland…I have been really lucky that in my short time here at Furness Academy I have worked with such a fantastic group of young people! I feel so glad that I met you all and I will miss you very much. I know that every single one of the young people in Tomlinson house is capable of fantastic things and I look forward to hearing about all the amazing things you achieve. Goodbye and good luck!


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Last year was our first year competing for the inter-house trophy, Ramsden House were full of enthusiasm from the very start. House Leaders and Deputies were fantastic and worked hard as a team, it was going to be Ramsden to WIN and we were adamant about that.

Our first assembly as a House was very positive; pictures were shown on the big screen of the events that had taken place in the first half term. Ramsden had got off to a cracking start, out of 10 events; we achieved five 1st places, three 2nd places and two 3rd places (amazing). Our year 7 Netball and Football teams were unstoppable, fighting off the other Houses to win, Year 9 Basketball were outstanding, Year 10/11 Dance Mats – Brogan Stewart and Dominic Irving were both foot perfect and not forgetting our Go-Karting team Dominic Irving, Neil Aspinall, Cain Scott and Tavis MacMillan Fraser who burnt rubber round the track to beat off our closest rivals Tomlinson House.

Ramsden continued to go from strength to strength. Throughout the year, Ramsden won:

– Year 10/11 Trampolining (Jordan Fisher and Samantha Dent)

– Year 7/8 Swimming Gala, Year 10/11 Basketball

– Year 11 Football, Year 7 Handball

– All Years Chess (Daniel Johnson)

– Year 7/8 Basketball and Dance Mats

– Year 11 Dodgeball

– Year 7/8 Maths Challenge, Poetry and Wii Sports

– Sports Day

As you can see we were pretty amazing and most of the credit goes to the House Leaders and Deputies for getting the teams together and bringing energy and enthusiasm.

Mrs Cook and Mrs Currie


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“Never, never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill

Last year was momentous and one that will be looked at and remembered by all in Armstrong House. The first year of the House Competitions and ‘blue house’ started well showing the others that we were strong, meant business and were up for the challenge.

Armstrong amazed me with their sheer determination, willpower and competitive spirit – there were plenty of blue ribbons appearing in the trophy cabinet. We proved to the others that we were fantastic footballers, nippy netballers, brilliant basketball and badminton players, we could ‘Move like Jagger’ on the Dance mats and were super spellers. The Year 11 girls screamed their way through Dodge ball “Miss... it hurts!”, but were cheered on in fine spirit Mrs Cook – their Learning Group Leader. The screaming during Dodge ball continued when the Year 7 and 8 spent most of their time clinging onto the back wall – “all the other teams cheered me on when I was the last member of our team still in – too bad I lost!” Towards the end of the year when the others thought we had given up more trophies started to appear…7SB1 had their brains in action and won the ‘Run-around’ then the North Year 9 boys (after a long wait and plenty of visits to Average Joe’s Gym!!) proved that they were no match in the Dodge ball arena. The staff finished the year with a Go Karting competition – we held the lead until the last 2 laps and then were beaten by Ramsden – Well done Mr Cartmell and Miss Wilkes.

Our fantastic team of House leaders and deputies soon picked up their role and continued throughout the year to get out there into Learning Groups, gathering teams together and then coming along to events to cheer on the team. Special big thanks to Callum and Danielle on South site who rose to the challenge and kept things going. House Leaders and Deputies from both sites are all going to be a hard act to follow.

Despite all the hard work and fantastic participation Armstrong have not managed to get to the top of the leader board and the House Trophy will not be displaying blue ribbons – well not for this year anyway!!. A massive well done to Ramsden – but don’t get too used to those red ribbons on display!

So what for the future?

I will always be cheering Armstrong on; I am so proud of you all and will miss you from the bottom of my heart.

Your challenge for this year...Come back in September...stronger, more determined, more focused and...WIN!!!!!

I will never forget you all, good luck for the future…

Your very proud House Manager

Mrs Kell


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Well, what can we say? We are so proud of RAMSDEN. Ramsden have led from the start and edged away from the other houses bit by bit. Our closest rivals Tomlinson tried to catch us up but in the end, 25 house points was a lot of ground to make up.

It is down to all of you for taking part and giving 100%, you are all absolute superstars and I really can’t wait for year two. Ramsden now have the Red ribbons on the House Championship Trophy and they will remain there for the whole of next year and will only change if Ramsden get beat (not going to happen). Thank you all so much for your hard work, dedication and enthusiasm, again, we are so proud. Keep up the good work.

Mrs Cook Lead/Ramsden House Manager

Mrs Currie – Ramsden House Manager

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RAMSDEN CHAMPIONSHOUSE RESULTS2011/2012

CHAMPIONS


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Event Armstrong Kennedy Ramsden Tomlinson

Summer Comp 3 4 2 1Yr 7 Netball 3 3 4 1Yr 8 Football 2 3 2 4Jenga 4 1 3 2Yr 8 Netball 4 3 3 1Yr 7 Football 1 4 4 4Yr 9 basketball 2 1 4 3Yr 10/11 Spelling Bee 1 4 3 3Yr 10/11 Dance Mats 2 4 4 1Go Karting 2 1 4 3Yr 7 Tag Rugby 1 4 3 2Yr 10/11 Trampoline 2 2 4 3Yr 10/11 Basketball 3 2 4 1Christmas Card 1 4 3 2Cross Country 1 4 3 2Yr 9 Football 4 3 1 2Yr 8 Spelling Bee 4 2 3 1Yr 9 Netball 4 2 3 2Yr 11 Football 2 1 4 4Swimming Gala 3 2 4 1Volleyball 1 3 2 4Handball 1 2 4 4Yr 9 Dance Mats 3 1 3 4Yr 10/11 Netball 3 1 3 4Yr 7 Spelling Bee 1 4 3 2Yr 11 Badminton 4 1 3 3Ks3 Girls Football 4 3 3 1Yr 9 Spelling Bee 3 1 2 4Bake a Cake 2 1 3 4Yr 10 Football 3 4 3 3Connect 4 1 3 3 4KS3 Dance Mats 4 2 4 2Yr 11 Dodgeball 4 1 4 2Chess 1 2 4 3Ks3 Basketball 2 2 4 310 pin Bowling 1 3 2 4Table Tennis 3 4 2 1Maths Challenge 2 1 4 4YR 7 Runaround 3 1 4 3YR 9 Dodgeball 4 1 2 4KS 3 Dodgeball 1 4 3 3Olympic Board 1 3 3 4KS3 Wii Sports 2 1 4 3YR 8 Tag Rugby 1 4 3 2Sports Day 3 4 3 1Poetry Comp 1 2 4 3

Totals 108 113 147 122

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An unforgettable time at the Paralympics

Moving making

Signal film trip

skiing in austria

fun and games

alton towers trip

Year 7 Art trip

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Ski tripLots of smiles on the slopes for our students.

Theatre clubStudents sample the sights and sounds of the big stage.

Olympic torch trip

A chance to carry the f lame for Furness Academy

Grizedale tripHaving fun in the forest with their new school friends.

Science clubHands-on scientif ic exploration

Craft club

A fun and relaxing way to start the week.

Trips Ski trip Signal Film trip – Year 8 Year 7 Grizedale trip Secret student – Alton towers Media bus Trip to Olympic games Olympic torch trip Transition summer school Sports summer school

Enrichment iPad games Craft club Script and songwriting club Singing club Theatre club Film club iClick photography club Craft club Science club


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Skiing in AustriaThe best snow conditions the region had enjoyed for 15 years greeted our 80 students who had a great time skiing in the Sportwelt area of Austria in January.

It was suitable reward for the group who had behaved really well during the 24-hour journey to reach the slopes, entertaining themselves by watching DVD’s and chatting to their friends on the way.

There then followed a hectic week of activities with ski-lessons and recreational skiing from 9am to 3.30pm each day, followed by dinner as a group before a breather prior to the night-time events. These ranged from tubing (sliding down the slopes on inner tubes), a disco, swimming, a Tyrolean cultural evening and the presentation ceremony for all the skiing certificates.

As well as developing their skiing skills, the students enjoyed the opportunity to mix with schoolmates and staff in a different environment, encounter students from other schools, get a taste of life in another European country and, most important of all, have fun! And they certainly put in plenty of energy and effort – if the difference between the boisterous and excited outward journey and the very quiet and exhausted atmosphere on the way home was anything to go by.

Having fun and enjoying ourselves - making memories I’ll never forget!

The Tyrolean night was an unexpected

surprise. I couldn’t stop laughing and

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HERITAGE PROJECTBarrow’s historical Cooke Building was the setting for a group of eager to learn Year 8 students, armed with the latest filming technology and a building steeped in history.

The day at SIGNAL films began with an intensive morning session in how to operate cameras effectively and understanding how a film crew works.

Caitlin Anderson then describes what happened next, when the group were split into two:

“Our group was given some old cufflinks and the other group was given an old pair of shoes.”

The groups worked creatively developing a story to link the items to the building and local history. The items were both

for personal use: a set of cufflinks, and a pair of shoes. This helped the students’ link to social history, and both groups developed wonderful characters and stories.

After lunch the students were free to film in different areas of the building and surrounding area. There was an air of excitement and anticipation, as not only were they developing their own films they were excited to think what the other group might produce.

Once finished filming we gathered together to watch the films, it was like being in the cinema, and the atmosphere was electric, and we were not disappointed. The students were a credit to themselves and Furness Academy.


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There’s no reason why you can’t have lots of fun while you’re getting used to being at a new school, as Year 7 students discovered on an exciting ‘transition’ trip.

As part of the process of building up confidence and developing their relationships with their fellow learning group students and the learning group leaders, the whole of Year 7 took part in a range of activities at Grizedale Forest.

During the day they were challenged to complete a mountain biking route, a map-reading/orienteering course and a range of art and craft activities.

All the students had a great day exploring the forest, discussing its innovative art installations tackling the assault course. Every group also completed its own art project creating a photo montage and natural sculptures.

Year 7 Transition Trip to

Grizedale Forest


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Good behaviour in class earned a fantastic day out to Alton Towers for a group of students, as part of the ‘Secret Student’ Rewards initiative.

Two Learning Groups from Year 8, both 8NG1 and 8SY1, totted up enough marks to win the trip and a further reward was that there were hardly any queues for the brilliant rides!

And it was certainly well received by the lucky students. Derry Greaves said: “Alton Towers was amazing! I didn’t have a favourite ride because they were all great.”

“I absolutely loved the Oblivion ride even though I was terrified!” added Georgia Hayman.

While Megan Williams commented: “The Alton towers trip was epic! I had lots of fun and it was truly awesome. My favourite part was getting a chocolate and banana pancake and going on the Oblivion with melted chocolate smothered all over my face!”

The Media Bus Event was a joint venture between Carlisle FM and Cumbria Fire Service, with the intention of raising awareness of fire safety in the home and first response (basic CPR).

Approximately 50 lucky Year 8 students were given the opportunity, as a reward for their good behaviour and attendance, to access the Media Bus, using the equipment on board to create a radio broadcast about key fire safety messages.

Claudia Denby, 8NY1, said of the experience,

“When I first saw the bus, shock came to my eyes. It was brilliant. Each piece of technological equipment was amazing. The atmosphere in the room was great and everyone couldn’t wait to get going.

I understood everything that they told us, and I was proud of how much information I learnt, for example ‘Drs ABC’.

The best part of the day was making our own heart start advert. My group, Shaney, Lois and Jasmine all loved the experience and I we are so grateful we were able to have the opportunity to do this.”

On the 29th March, a smaller group of twelve students were given the opportunity to travel to Carlisle Radio Station. They were selected by the Fire Service based on their knowledge and understanding of the media equipment and their confidence levels, from the previous week.

Firstly, the group were given a tour of the Radio station in Carlisle. They then had to produce a CPR advert and a fire safety advert, both of which were aired on CFM during the Easter holidays to help the Cumbria Fire Service raise awareness.

MEDIA BUSON AIR


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The Olympic and Paralympic Games have been hugely successful and inspirational for us all, but even more so for those lucky enough to have been there and experienced the atmosphere and world class sport for themselves.

Amber Gibbons, Sophie Killip and Rebecca Smith were rewarded for their hard work and commitment to extra-curricular sport and leadership, by being invited to watch the USA versus DPR Korea in a women’s Olympic football match at Old Trafford. This was a fantastic opportunity to witness women’s football being played at the highest level, especially as the USA team went on to win the Olympic gold medal later in the tournament.

The Paralympic Games have been equally successful, if not more so in many people’s minds, capturing the imagination of millions of us around the UK. So for Cai Williams, Catherine Gorry-Edwards and Keira Ashworth, this was a unique opportunity to say ‘we were there’ and to sample the unique atmosphere. They saw the games makers full of cheer and high fives, full crowds cheering on every competitor as if they were all GB, the Olympic Park with its stunning buildings each of them a work of art, the skill and endeavour of the competitors and, yes, the organisation of the whole event which left you feeling safe and proud.

Keira, Cai and Catherine were the lucky few to be selected from a raffle, full of names of students who had worked ‘to their personal best’ throughout the year. None of us were prepared for the truly amazing and inspiring performances we saw. Men’s long jump final F11, for athletes with severe visual impairment, proved to be the event which inspired Catherine and Keira the most.

Catherine said: “I was interested to see how the guide for the athlete communicated with them to help them down the run way for the take- off. The whole crowd had to be silent so the guide could be heard.”

Keira couldn’t quite believe she was sitting in the Olympic Stadium, in what was her very first visit to London. She realised after watching the events ‘that just because you have a disability it does not mean you can’t take part in lots of different events.’

The moment which lives in Cai’s memory the most was when a wheelchair racer, coming last by some distance, received the biggest cheer from the 80,000 capacity crowd. She never gave up, despite the fact that she was struggling to complete the women’s 800m T54 event.

This day will live in our memories for a very long time, witnessing world class performances in so many events; wheelchair javelin, women’s 100m for athletes with upper limb amputations where the eventual winner performed a new world record, men’s 200m for athletes with cerebral palsy and so many more. And we can say, “we were there!”

I was interested to see how the guide for the athlete communicated with them to help them down the run way for the take-off. The whole crowd had to be silent so the guide could be heard.Catherine Gorry-Edwards


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FURNESS ACADEMY STANDARD BEARERS BECOME OLYMPIC TORCH BEARERSThursday 21st June saw the Olympic flame travel the length of Windermere docking at Bowness and spending the night on the Glebe! Mr Tippins had the privilege of escorting four special Furness Academy students to this once in a lifetime event, nominated for their efforts throughout the year in PE.

This unique invitation came courtesy of Mr J Woodcock MP, to accompany him and other students, brownies, guides, cubs and scouts on double decker coaches provided by Barrow Transport Association to Bowness.

Connor McPherson and Brogan Stewart from Year 11 and Callum Baynes and Emma Griffiths from Year 8 were overwhelmed when they had the opportunity to meet Millie Pyne (torch bearer for Cumbria). The highlight of the evening had to be when the students got their hands on the famous torch, allowing them to feel truly part of this historical occasion.


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August 20th–24th 2012 was the week of our second annual Transition Summer School, which was even bigger and better than 2011’s. 43 selected Year 6 students took part in the fun activities, which were designed to build confidence, create opportunities to make new friends and allay any fears students might have had about starting Year 7 in September.

Activities included Samba and Gamelan (Indonesian percussion) workshops, Thai cookery, Art and Drama, culminating in a buffet and drama performance for parents and carers on the Friday afternoon. One of the highlights of the week was a day out to Brockhole, including a cruise down Windermere and a trip on the Haverthwaite/Lakeside Steam Railway. The students also enjoyed “free time” activities and mini-tournaments in Chess, Connect 4, Dancemats, Basketball and Beat the Goalie. Feedback and Evaluation collected from students and parents indicated that the objectives were well and truly met.

TRANSITION SUMMER SCHOOL

This fab week of sports for all has been run for the sixth consecutive year in conjunction with Barrow Borough Sports Council and has been another huge success.

Furness Academy has hosted the two weeks with 20 Sports Leaders who were selected from the Academy as well as from our local schools and colleges and followed an intensive week of training delivered by local Sports Coaches and Furness Academy Staff to enable the leaders who are aged between 15–17 yrs to deliver a safe, active and fun week of Summer Sports to more than 60 youngsters as young as 6–11 yrs.

Zumba, tennis, rounders, basketball,cricket and canoeing are a sample of the super sports available with the use of Duddon Canoe Club and Hoops Basketball Centre’s facilities as well as Furness Academy’s excellent indoor and outdoor sports areas.

Penny Pearce PE Furness Academy PE Teacher and Summer School Manager says “Each year the leaders and helpers get better and are a pleasure to work with. This allows the youngsters to have a super sports week in a great atmosphere and in the run up to the Olympics we are all feeling brilliant. The mayor attending our presentation finished the two weeks off really well. A special thanks to the staff for their tireless efforts once again.”

SPORTS SUMMER SCHOOL


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Theatre clubDuring my two years of attending theatre club I have been to many shows at Forum 28, writes Mrs Gordon. This year I have watched ‘The Sorcerer’ which starred our very own Mrs Collins and also ‘Dr Dolittle’. All the shows I have been to see have been exceptional. I have enjoyed my two years going to ‘theatre club’ knowing that there are still many more exciting theatre trips to come.

Enrichment opportunities at Furness Academy are varied and numerous, with the traditional clubs being offered such as football, netball, drama and dance. However, many staff are willing to offer new clubs for students to experience, which are current, creative and fun. Here are just a few examples of what can be accessed at Furness Academy.

iPad games clubThe club gather every Wednesday after school, we play individually or against each other. Games we like include:

– Temple Run

– Minecraft

– Word Abacus

– Pop Math

Craft clubStarting this year, Craft Club has been a fun, relaxing way to start the week. Running on a Monday after school we have spent time making many different items using very different techniques with a fantastic set of students.

We have used wool, string, paint, glue, paper, card, recycled envelopes, sticks, glitter, sequences, icing sugar and material to name but a few different resources. We have had themes such as Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Chinese New Year as well as manga!

ENRICHMENT

SINGINGCLUB


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Script and song writing clubMany attend ‘script and song writing club’. We have a variety of activities to choose from and they include playing drama games, writing and performing scripts and/or songs and taking part in workshops.

This year we have written some scripts and songs which have then been practiced and performed to others in our club.

Over the year we have enjoyed ourselves, especially when we are given the opportunity to write and perform our own work.

iClick photography clubThe iClick photography club has provided enrichment opportunities for students to photograph and digitally edit their work using the iPads. This is a selection of work on various themes including viewpoints and natural form.

Film clubStudents who usually attend film club:-

Abbie Backhouse, Abigail Stewart, Sophie Benson, Bethany Thornton, Louise Herbert, Mark Morris, Matthew Bircher, Owen Fleming, Sophie Bamber and Sophie Maddox.

Stand By MeBy Abbie, 13This was a really emotional film. It was full of excitement, fear and drama. The best part of the film was the end part when it showed how they had all moved on in life and the consequences from life’s choices. The part that made me the most scared was when they found the dead body then the group of children were threatened because of whom and what they had discovered. Overall it was a good film with lots of moments that change the whole atmosphere in the room.

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everybody arrived in

style for the prom

the leavers

signing their

shirts

Al l the happy students at the end of year prom


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YEAR 11

Learning GroupAl l of you are astounding ambassadors for Furness Academy.

GCSE resultsWe have fun as we learn – and then we celebrate our success.

Leavers’ assemblyMixed emotions as students sign off in style.

Prefects DinnerExemplary attendance and behaviour is just the ticket for swish event.

Leavers prom

Al l dressed up and somewhere great to go.

Stories Year 11 Learning Group Prefects’ dinner Leavers’ assembly Leavers’ prom GCSE results

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11 Head of Student Engagement and Standards

Mrs R RosebladeIt has been a pleasure to be the Head of Student Engagement and Standards for Year 11. I have been continually astounded by many of you; your commitment to achieving your personal best is second to none. You have gone out of your way to help others when they have needed it and many of you have been outstanding ambassadors for Furness Academy. A special thanks go out to the Head Boys and Girls and their deputies, Senior Prefects and Prefects; you have carried out your roles with confidence and diligence. A special thanks to all those who have made me laugh and smile this year, hopefully you know who you are but here are a few key words to jog your memory; catalogue poses, cooking, lifts and rocket club. Finally remember the best way to predict your future is to create it.

Assistant Head of Student Engagement and StandardsMiss H KnaggThe sentiments I shared in the Year 11 leavers’ assembly remain true and I can honestly say that it has been an absolute privilege to have been your Assistant Head of Student Engagement and Standards. We have laughed together, learned together, built friendships, cried together and, above all, we have grown together.

The year has not been without its challenges and some of you have had to completely rethink behaviours, attitudes and ways forward. Overall, we succeeded in moving forward. I hope that those who didn’t find the right path in their new jobs or courses.

To every single one of you, I wish a lifetime of happiness and riches, not necessarily in monetary terms, but in the joys of life and thank you for allowing me to share in an important part of your lives.

All the very best to you all.

11SG2Mrs S RushtonWhat a wonderful group. They have been a pleasure to have. We have had many laughs and some tears along the way. They have supported each other through the good and the 'not so good' times. I have seen them all develop into fine young adults with their own individual personalities. There were some 'characters' ( you know who you are) but I can honestly say that I have enjoyed your company and wish every single one of you all the success in the world for whatever path you choose to follow. I would like to think that you will look back on your time at the Academy with fondness and keep in touch.

11NB1

Mrs L CookNow it’s time to say goodbye, school days must finally end. We’ve made some treasured memories and many more new friends.

For one full year I’ve watched you grow and change from day to day, I hope that all the things we’ve done, have helped in some small way. So it’s with very happy memories, I see you to the door, With great hope and expectations for what life holds in store.

With lots of love from Mrs Cook xxx

LEARNING GROUPLEADERS


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11NY1Mrs J SmithWhere did that year go? What will you do next? Whatever you decide I wish you every success. Have big dreams and be happy.

11SR1Mrs C AmisonYou have undoubtedly been the best Year 11 Learning Group on south site! Such a diverse group of students with some entertaining and lively characters, what more could I ask for?

Yes, I know I probably have moaned and pushed you to complete forms and coursework and monitoring sheets but I guess it’s helped us all bond as a Learning Group. I don’t think I have ever had a Learning Group that has got on as well together as a unit – and I know that many of you will be friends for a very long time. Many of you have developed into mature and sensible young adults who know exactly what they need to do in order to achieve.

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” - Jesse Owens

You all deserve to do well and I wish you every success in the future.

11SY2Mr L HigginsIt has been a great experience for me to see you grow into the outstanding young citizens you are over these two years. I will miss you all very much, and I hope our paths cross again at some point in the future. Enjoy your summer, and then strive hard to achieve your new targets, whatever they may be.

Goodbye and good luck.

11NR2Mr P RawlinsonThank you for being a genuinely wonderful Learning Group. I will miss your cheerful smiling faces in a morning and the sparkling conversation....! Seriously though I wish all of you nothing but the very best, you deserve every success in the future. Just remember whatever you choose to do in the future make sure it is something that makes you happy! :)

11SB1Miss K IrwinAlthough I have only been your Learning Group Leader for the past two years I would like to say what a great bunch of students you have been. To be greeted first thing in the morning by friendly faces (most of you with your top buttons already fastened) is just what was needed for a positive start to the day. You have been a pleasure to teach and engage with; friendly, mature and thoughtful. I would like to wish all of you the best for whatever path you choose and hope you have a very bright future ahead.


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11NG1Miss H Halliwell

When I look back I can’t believe how much you have grown as a group. To have so many individuals that are reaching for success in the future is something I would like to think I’m partly responsible for. You have proved to me that you are all very talented and ambitious both individually and as a team. Whenever there has been a house competition, or when we have members competing in sports day, you pull together offering support and to help push each other on to ensure they achieve their full potential.

One pearl of wisdom I was given when I left school was “if at first you don’t succeed try, try again”. You can achieve anything you set your mind to and you will learn and remember the experience more if it doesn’t go according to plan the first time.

Good Luck to you all and I wish you every success for everything you undertake in the future.

11SG1

Mr L EdwardsI have been with you for a mere few months, in the main guise of Checker-in-Chief of the register, and as I only taught one or two of you, I did not get to know you very well.

However I came to know you well enough to understand that you are a first class group of young men and women, and a credit, I think, to all that the Academy stands for.

Your time at the Academy will have a big impact on your life, though you may not appreciate it at the moment.

Look back, occasionally, at your time here with fondness, but look forward with anticipation, for that is where your future lies.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you every success and happiness, no matter what you do or where you go.

11SY1Mr D KnottI would like to wish each and every one of you every success in the future. Some of you already know how to create your own. Thomas Jefferson once said "I'm a firm believer in luck, and I've found that the harder I work, the luckier I get."

11NG2

Mr A Brayshaw and Miss J MitchellWhat a wonderful year it's been! I've cherished every minute I've spent with possibly the greatest Learning Group in the school. There have been good times and bad, but together we have come through it stronger. But seriously, I wish all of 11NG2 the very best of luck in their future endeavours.

Always remember; Eagles may fly high, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.


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11SR2Miss C Silver and Miss V HughesThis academic year has been very rewarding for 11SR2 with many achievements to be proud of. Students have taken on the responsibility of student voice, sports captains, prefect duties, as well as supporting and successfully competing for Ramsden house competitions. As a group you have been a pleasure to teach and we wish you every success in the future.

11NR1Mr A PooleI was fortunate to be rewarded with 11NR1 at the start of Year 10 when Mr Olphert defected to South site. Although I have had my learning group for only two short years it feels much longer! You can say what you like about my group but one thing that it could never be accused of is lacking character or personality- Max, Michael, Travis and Ryan to name just a few.

It has been a somewhat bumpy ride together but there have been many highlights e.g. having a serious conversation with Ryan Scott that he might have the qualities to make a teaching assistant as he could empathise with students, coming second at North site for our attendance board- my group liked their pictures so much they have taken them home although it didn’t quite have as much of an effect on attendance as I would have liked.

I have seen many of the group develop into mature considerate eloquent individuals who can feel proud of themselves and their achievements. My mornings are much quieter now as I approach the end of the year. I didn’t think I would say this at the start but I am missing them already.

11SB2

Mrs C Lyons and Miss J LoweWhat a great group of students – it’s been a pleasure to be your Learning Group Leaders. Taking us on in Y11 must have been hard for you but you managed to get through it! You have been a noisy group but lots of fun, with some very entertaining mornings to say the least. You have always been supportive of each other and some lasting friendships have been formed during your time at Furness Academy. It has been a huge privilege to be part of your final year in school; it has gone far too fast!

We wish you well in all you do, work hard, be happy and stay healthy!

Now what can we say

Is this our penance to pay? A great bunch of students A real good laugh

How will they do on their Y11 path?

Lots of prefects in the group

And also 2 house leaders to boot!

Lucky group with 2 LG Leaders - Mrs Lyons and Miss Lowe

Along the Academy line, students must now go



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11 Good attendance and exemplary behaviour at school provided students with a ticket to the classiest

event in town.

The Prefects’ Dinner at Clarence House was a swish affair, enjoyed by those whose performance had earned them the ‘Prefect’ badge and an invitation to the event.

They all looked smart and grown up in their superb formal attire and sat down to a sumptuous dinner before celebrating individual successes in an awards ceremony.

The evening culminated in a disco, the highlight of which was a dance-off between Mr Carmody, Euan Greenop and Sam Carswell with Mr Carmody winning and then proceeding to show his moves with anyone prepared to take him on!

It was a brilliant evening that will live for many years in the memory of all who attended.

Prefects’ Dinner

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LEAVERS’ ASSEMBLY

ONE FINAL ASSEMBLY

SHIRT SIGNING

THE OSCARS

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK


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Leavers’ PromThe venue for this years Prom was The Forum, and mercifully, the rain stayed away on the evening of this special occasion. The year’s Prom committee had decided upon the food, colour scheme and entertainment and the evening was perfectly set up to be a night to remember for our outgoing Year 11.

The Forum welcomed all students with 'House' cocktails and piano music was provided by Demi Paxton and Mr and Mrs Guntrip. The guests all entered the main hall, which was beautifully decorated. Our Prom King and Queen were Danielle Finlayson and Cameron Lynn: both looked great in their sashes.

Our entertainment for the night were The Somebodies, a London based band. They certainly made the place rock as did the students and staff on the dance floor. For me the best groovers of the night were Jordan Molyneux and David Morgan - you guys were amazing!


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GCSE RESULTS

“This year’s GCSE results saw some amazing achievements once more by so many of our students. Without wishing to single out individuals, it remains the case that our top attaining students prove themselves to be on a par with those of other schools, and those students who find learning and examinations to be more of a challenge make progress at a rate which is twice as fast as the national norm.

We are currently working very hard in the Academy to continue to improve the quality of provision and student achievement in Maths, and we feel confident that we will soon be at the level of the national expectation in this subject, more happily, results in English (60%) are broadly in line with the national average (62%) and we aim to develop quality to exceed that bench mark as soon as possible.

Science results were very strong this year both for double award (78% @ A* – C) and the three discreet sciences (Physics @ 96% x A*– C, Chemistry @ 77% and Biology @ 96%). This helps students to prepare for science A-Levels or high level apprenticeships with careers in science and engineering, medicine, veterinary practice and other high end pathways to follow.

ICT results hit 100% @ A*– C, which is a fantastic achievement by the teachers and students concerned, and results across many other subjects, especially the arts and sports related GCSEs were also high.

Perhaps most noteworthy this year, however, were results from our first set of 1 year GCSE courses in Years 9 and 10. Across the Furness peninsula only at Furness Academy can students take so many GCSE examinations early, when they’re ready, and the performance of our Year 9 students in particular proves the worth of our innovative three year KS4 curriculum model. In Year 9 particularly this can be seen where 14 out of 16 courses recorded 100% A* – G passes and of the 199 x Year 9 student entries 58% were A*– C passes, with half of those being at the A*, A and B level.

Well done to all those students across Years 9, 10 and 11 and very many thanks to staff and parents for their teaching and support.”

Douglas BlackledgePrincipal


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Exam Subject Entries A* A B C D E F G

Biology 52 1 10 25 14 2 0 0 0

Bus Stud 51 1 2 12 15 9 6 6 0

Catering 23 0 4 9 5 4 1 0 0

Chemistry 52 1 7 13 19 11 1 0 0

COPE 26 0 0 1 0 0 25 0 0

Diploma Engin Lev 2 24 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0

Diploma HB Lev 2 15 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0

Diploma SHD Lev 2 20 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0

Drama 18 1 4 3 4 3 1 1 1

Electronics 25 5 0 6 7 2 4 0 1

English 302 3 13 56 118 45 40 18 9

English Lit 136 0 7 48 61 15 5 0 0

Fine Art 74 1 9 18 36 7 3 0 0

Fine Art sc 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

French 6 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 0

Geography 70 0 4 14 19 14 9 7 3

German 13 0 0 2 7 3 1 0 0

Graphics 18 0 1 0 6 4 3 2 2

History 72 2 10 10 21 13 12 3 1

HSC 1 26 0 1 7 9 4 4 1 0

HSC 2 20 0 1 2 8 8 0 1 0

Maths 300 2 13 29 87 78 36 38 17

Media 1 43 2 6 9 17 4 2 1 2

Media 2 39 0 5 7 14 8 3 2 0

Music 10 0 0 2 3 1 0 3 1

PE 1 54 0 3 14 16 11 8 1 1

PE 2 7 0 1 4 1 1 0 0 0

Photography 9 0 0 0 3 4 1 0 1

Physics 52 4 10 16 20 2 0 0 0

Product Des 26 1 4 4 13 2 1 0 1

RE full 202 6 23 38 51 33 25 18 8

Res Mat 22 2 1 0 6 5 5 3 0

Science additional 115 3 9 33 43 16 4 6 1

Science core 115 2 8 36 54 6 6 2 1

Exam Subject Entries D* Distinction Merit Credit Pass

Art and Des BTEC 28 0 2 3 0 9

Caring for Children 12 0 0 0 0 12

Construction Emp 4 0 2 0 0 0

ICT 1 259 0 71 64 0 124

ICT 2 23 0 14 9 0 0

OEd BTEC 20 3 0 2 0 5

Public Services 12 0 0 0 0 12

Science BTEC 232 1 0 19 0 96

Science BTEC single 9 0 0 0 0 9

Furness AcademyThorncliffe Road, Barrow-in-Furness,Cumbria LA14 5QPTel: 01229 825163 Designed and Produced by Fat Media.

Furness Academy Yearbook 2012

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Transcript of Furness Academy Yearbook 2012