January 2019

Full reports and news can be found via

our Twitter and Facebook account and the

‘News’ area of the school website...

www.liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk@Liskeard_School

The magazine of Liskeard School & Community College

he eflectionT Rhe eflectionT Rachieving more together

Head’s LetterDear Parents, Carers and Friends of Liskeard School,

Welcome to the first edition of The Reflection in 2019!

How are you? I ask, as this week has been Children’s Mental Health Week with yesterday being Time to Talk Day – a day where people across the country make a commitment to talk about mental health. According to the research 1 in 10 young people suffer with mental ill-health, but yet 78% of those who are suffering say they are fine when they are not. We’ve therefore been asking everyone to ‘Ask Twice’ when they ask how someone is, in the hope it will encourage others to speak up and talk about their issues.

As well as ‘asking twice’, we’ve been discussing mental health in assemblies and during PHSE lessons this week, so along with asking your son or daughter how they are (twice) please ask them what they’ve learnt about mental health. Next week, students are also putting on their own music concert in aid of CALM, a charity that supports young people suffering with mental illness. Look out for the flier later in the magazine.

In this week’s edition you’ll see some more amazing articles relating to the world of work - getting students to think about their future aspirations: from a visit to Ginsters, a STEM fayre in Plymouth to taking part in a live surgical operation in the New Hall! Students in Years 9 and 11 are now considering their options for next year, so events like these and last week’s news that our Sixth Form came top in the Cornish school league tables helps them make those important decisions.

With best wishes,

Alex LingardHeadteacher

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

Mya Williams 7I, 31 Luisa Gould 8S, 26 Bethany Whitehead 9K, 46

Ewan A'Lee 7I, 24 Grace Sobey 8E, 21 Charlotte Berne 9K, 40

Isobel James 7L, 22 Bell Rollings 8E, 20 Jacob Blick 9K, 20

Courtney Haley 7I, 22 Tyler Upton 8E, 19 Caleb Brown 9S, 17

Joshua Harris 7I, 21 Yazmin Murray 8R, 17 Sophie Bettinson 9L, 17

Lois Harper 7S, 21 Keira de Villiers 8E, 17 Shanice Shepherd 9S, 16

Sam Cotterill 7K, 21 Abigail Jones 8E, 16 Josh Gurdin 9E, 15

Charlie Seeva 7A, 20 Caitlin Murray 8E, 16 Abi Hinchliff 9A, 15

Jacob Meller 7K, 19 And four students on 15! Thomas Sichel 9I, 15

And three students on 18! Cameron Macleay 9L, 14

Dylan Sargeant 9S, 14

Top Merit Earners for January

Year 10 Year 11

Aaron Upton 10I, 34 Isabel Willcock 11A, 24

Connor Vine 10S, 27 Lena Zalick 11S, 24

Mya Cavanagh 10A, 22 Molly Toms 11A, 23

Antony Cole 10I, 22 Elly Murchison 11A, 21

Hannah Hiscock 10A, 21 Harrison Pollard 11A, 20

Josh Clarke 10A, 20 Katie Lockley 11K, 19

Sam Doolan 10A, 20 Adam Bennett 11A, 19

Chloe Hawke 10L, 18 Akira Griffin 11E, 19

Connor Davey 10S, 18 Tyler Bradbury 11I, 19

Ellie Pearce 10I, 18 And three students on 18!

Emily Joyce 10L, 18

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have a young family and love to spend time with them on our local beach and making the most of where we live. My little boy, Freddie, has just turned three and as you can imagine, he is quite a handful! On the odd occasion where I have time to myself, I love to spend time with friends, surfing and kayaking.

I also have ongoing links with a school in Kissi Town, Sierra Leone and have spent a considerable amount of time working with the local community to improve opportunities for the young people who live there. Kissi Town is a refugee camp of approximately 15,000 people living in the most terrible conditions. As part of a group of teachers from my previous school in Birmingham, we have raised tens of thousands of pounds over the past 8 years to build a school so that the children there have a chance of education and to better their chances for employment. Presently the school has over 1500 students up to the age of 12 and over the next few years we are hoping to raise enough money to build a secondary school.

What makes you tick?

It may sound a bit obvious, but for me, hard work and perseverance are such important things. I will always try to give 100% to anything I am doing, be it work related, a leisure activity or something for my family. In the role of a teacher, there is nothing better than to see young people trying their hardest and showing commitment to their learning.

That moment when a young person finally makes the link, understands the concept, makes the shot or finishes the problem… the pride and smile on their face is priceless and makes all the hard work worthwhile.

What message would you give to the students at Liskeard?

The best advice I was ever given was to try to do your best every day and persevere at everything you do. You may not always succeed, but if you don’t give everything when trying something new, then you will never know if you could actually do it or not. You have one chance at secondary school education so make the most of the fantastic opportunities offered to you at Liskeard School & Community College. I truly look forward to working with you all in the coming months and years.

We were delighted to welcome our new Deputy Headteacher Mr Chris Knipe to Liskeard School and Community College when we returned after the Christmas break. We had a chat with him about his background, his interests and why he wanted to work at Liskeard!

Spotlight on: Mr Knipe

Why did you want to work at Liskeard School & Community College?

The reason for this move is that it is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future direction of the school and improve the life chances for every student.

The thing that most attracted me to Liskeard School & Community College was the sense of community I got as soon as I walked through the door. The school has a genuinely pupil centred approach which directly links to my own beliefs about education. I came into teaching in order to make a difference to young people and felt that this school had so much potential to improve even further.

Being the Deputy Headteacher means I have the opportunity to drive the quality of education for our young people in order to get the best outcomes for all. I also live in the local area and as such wanted to work in a school which directly serves the community of which I already feel part of.

What did you do before working at Liskeard School & Community College?

Until Christmas, I was Assistant Principal and SENCO at Penrice Academy, St Austell and prior to that I was Director for Learning at Great Barr School in Birmingham. I was also Head of Physical Education at Preston Manor School in Wembley. Working in a wide range of different schools and settings has provided me with a wealth of experience and knowledge about what it takes to be a truly outstanding school and provide the best education and opportunities for the students.

Student of the Month

WinnerArchie Lambert-Govier (Year 7)for being an outstanding student and an incredibly kind young man. He is the recipient of several Student of the Week awards and has taken part in several extra-curricular opportunities, including being on the Student Council. He is always polite, well-mannered and genuinely cares about helping others. He has excellent attendance and has received over 70 merits!Nominated by Mr Mitchell.

NomineesArchie was one of 12 students nominated for the Student of the Month award for January - each student’s nomination,

as well as the member of staff who nominated them, is listed on the next page!

Student of the Month Nominees

Bayo Earl (Y13) for her fierce determination and generosity.

She is the embodiment of resilience and as such has gone from low grades to

consistently high grades. She is currently mentoring a Y11 student and supporting a Y8

class every fortnight.Nominated by Mrs Inger & Mrs

Hoskin.

Lauren Prout (Y12) for excellent attitude and work in Health & Social

Care.Nominated by

Mrs Jeff.

Zuzanna Radecka (Y11) for her excellent attitude and work in Childcare. Nominated by Mrs Jeff.

Also, for her generosity in supporting other students and her work ethic. She is a superb role model in Y11 in the least egotistic way

possible.Nominated by Mrs Leon.

Caspian Quinn-Erith (Y10) for his

determination and resilience to make

a successful start at LSCC. Nominated

by Mrs Holroyd.

Beth Rogers (Y10) for her

excellent attitude and work in Childcare.

Nominated by Mrs Jeff.

Aaron Upton (Y10) for consistently working hard

all the time. He tries his utmost in lessons, re-doing all his work to improve. He

always does more than he has to for homework,

and is a great example to others.

Nominated by Mr Poole.

Nye Ullman & Rudi Harrison Ward (Y12) for their outstanding

performances in the national ARTiculation competition and being

generally enthusiastic about research and discovery.

Nominated by Mrs Schooling.

Chloe Biggs (Y9) for her

determination and resilience in EnglishNominated by Mrs

Snowling.

Finn Smith (Y8) for his academic and extra-curricular achievements. Finn

is a key member of the Greenpower Car Club and is currently racing for the

prestigious Team Clay Racing Club. Finn shows courage, resilience and

kindness every day.Nominated by Mr Hurdwell.

Jacob Meller (Y7) for his boundless enthusiasm for

French, along with his can-do attitude.Nominated by Ms

Gilbey.

Six Strategies for Effective LearningAs you know, one of the things we are trying to develop this year is students’ ability to learn effectively outside of the classroom using 6 tried and tested strategies. It is

one thing to be able to remember something soon after it has been taught, but quite another to properly learn it so that it can be remembered and understood months later. Please find below some information about the fourth strategy that we have titled ‘INTER-

LEAVING’. If you’d like to find out more please contact our Deputy Head, Mr Knipe, at chknipe@liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk. In the next issue we’ll be looking at the fifth strategy

known as ‘Using Examples’

Year 13 Business students in Liskeard Sixth Form have been given an inside look at the home of Ginsters, visiting the Cornwall Bakery as part of their studies.

Students were given a brief introduction to the Bakery and learnt about it’s history, followed by a tour of the production area, where many Ginsters products are made. They followed the production process through from start to finish, seeing many different aspects of the process in action.

The tour started at the delivery area, where students saw how the ingredients are prepared, as well as how health and safety regulations are observed, before moving onto the processing area, seeing how the flavours and fillings are mixed. From here, students visited the bakery area, where they saw the mass production of pastry and then the formation of the products itself.

A change of coats and shoes (and of course headwear!) were needed for the next part of the process, where students had the opportunity to take part in the quality control process - by tasting a freshly baked pasty! Students then witnessed the final stages of the process, with products being packed, wrapped and stored, ready for delivery to shops all around the UK.

Managers and staff kindly took part in a Q and A session with our students, (enjoyed alongside a Ginsters lunch!) where students were able to explore how the theoretical elements they learn in the classroom link to the everyday running of a business.

Talking about the visit, student Cris Carrubba said, “It was really good to hear the key words we have learnt about used in a real business situation. It was also interesting to see business processes and theories in action. An all-round good day and a free pasty!”

A big thank you to Terry Dooley, training manager at the Cornwall Bakery, and other staff at Cornwall Bakery, for providing this wonderful opportunity for our students to see the content they learn in the classroom in a real life environment!

Year 13 Business Students Visit the Home of Ginsters

50 Year 8 students from Liskeard School and Community College enjoyed a showcase of innovative science and technology projects that are currently attracting the attention of the University of Plymouth and other local businesses.

Students explored the 30 stalls at the exhibition, held at the University of Plymouth, which included activities as diverse as making your own seaweed jelly, using facial reconstruction software, exploring virtual reality worlds, riding segways and much more. Students were able to get hands on with some of the technology, as well as pick the brains of the scientific minds responsible for the innovations.

Those in attendance were also able to attend a talk on the impact that humans and the climate have had on megafaunal (large animals) extinctions.

Students were able to understand the real life impacts that we have on the planet, and how changing climate conditions and human interaction over millennia have caused the extinction of woolly mammoths, giant ground sloths and even cave bears and cave lions from northern Europe.

Science teacher Mr Andrew Davis, who attended the exhibition with the students, explained that it was “an invaluable experience for our students who are looking to find out more about studying STEM subjects at degree level and beyond, as well as helping to explore their potential career opportunities in those fields.”

Students inspired by Plymouth University STEM showcase

Operating Theatre Live provides unique scientific opportunity for students

Students from Liskeard School, as well as those from SMART member schools Looe Community Academy and saltash.net community school, had the unique opportunity to gain hands on experience of anatomy and physiology as Operating Theatre Live visited the school.

The students, drawn from across Year 8 to 11, got a taste

of working in the clinical profession with the visit, which is the UK’s leading dissection-based surgical experience. Students started the day by learning how to assess and communicate with their patient and then prepare them for surgery, before independently calculating the required concentration and dosage before anesthetising their patient.

Once anaesthetised, students looked at the structure, role and physiology of the brain and eye. They were able to remove the brain from the cranial vault and identify structures such as the cerebellum. Following this, students learned to intubate their patient and dissected the lungs and heart.

Mrs Michelle Inger, who had worked with Operating Theatre Live to organise the session, was delighted with the students’ response.

“The buzz and excitement in the room throughout the session was absolutely amazing, with students embracing the fantastic opportunity. Students were communicating in clinical terminology and were able to experience something truly unique. They had a brilliant time and left with a whole new world of opportunity. It was also great to invite our friends from Looe and Saltash to join us and take part,” she said.

We are proud to announce that Liskeard School has been named the overall winners of the Hate Crime Schools Competition for 2018-19, and a number of our students have won individual awards for their entries.

Entries were made through our PSHE House Competition, on the theme of ‘Torn from Home’, which was also the theme for National Holocaust Memorial Day 2019. These were then entered into the regional competition, and we are delighted that in the three categories (Short Story, Art Work, Photography), Liskeard students claimed first, second and third place in both the Short Story and Art Work categories!

The competition follows work on Hate Crime in PSHE, including workshop sessions run by PC Geoff Turner-Moore from Devon and Cornwall Police.

The individual winners have been invited to Truro Cathedral, accompanied by Mrs Lofthouse, to receive their prizes and certificates, as well as to sign the slate for the Cathedral’s roof.

Congratulations to all the entrants for their fantastic work!

Entrants Win Regional Hate Crime Schools Competition

Joseph Shackerley, 8L, 1st place in the Art Work category

School FundLast year we set up a School Fund intended to provide the extras for students which can make the school experience even richer and more enjoyable. School funding from Central Government is very much focused on the main curriculum and has significantly reduced in real terms over the last few years. Examples of what the School Fund will be used for are as follows:• to help fund the running of extra-curricular activities and clubs• to help fund student support facilities and resources• to help finance the costs of running our minibuses We therefore request that parents make an annual contribution for each child at the school.

You can pay School Fund by using the on-line system - it will appear on your Parent Pay account and you have the option of how much you’d like to contribute and how often! You can also pay by card over the phone. We ask that payments are made before Easter.

Please note that this is a voluntary contribution.

PTFA UpdateIf you’d like to join our PTFA to help fundraise for the school, please come along to our next meeting on Monday 4th March at 6pm in our 6th Form Common Room. We are still collecting for our pre-loved uniform sale - donations, handed in to school reception, are greatly appreciated. Our next big event will be our Easter Fayre on April 6th.

You can also contact Sara Nicholas for more details at: lsptfa.secretary@gmail.com

Regional results

Short Story

Art Work

1st Isobel Coleflax

Joseph Shakerley

2nd Kimberley Dyer

Isaac Chapman

3rd Quinn Lawrence

Imogen Early

House Competition results

1st Frankie Burchell

2nd Sophie Bunn

3rd Joseph Shakerley

4th Caitlyn Murray

The tragic case of 14 year old Molly Russell has been in the news recently. Molly has been described as an ordinary teenager with no obvious mental health issues, however Molly was found dead in her bedroom after following social media accounts promoting self-harm, suicide and depression. Her parents had no idea she was accessing this material.

How much do you really know about what your child is looking at online? The best advice is to keep talking to your child and look at their accounts to stay informed. If your child is evasive or you have worries about what they are looking at contact www.ceop.co.uk for advice or ask to speak to Miss Birkbeck in school, or email her at WeBirkbeck@liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk

Attendance UpdateWe know that good attendance to school is one of the top three factors

in students’ academic success. A drop of just 5% in attendance can affect GCSE grades by 1 whole grade. Last year, students in Year 11 with 95% or

higher attendance (less than 8 days’ absence) achieved an average grade of 5. Those with an attendance of between 90% and 95% (8 to 15 days’

absence) achieved an average grade of 4. The following diagram helps with understanding what percentage attendance means in terms of days missed:

Group Attendance

Year 7 96.6%

Year 8 95.7%

Year 9 94.0%

Year 10 93.9%

Year 11 94.9%

School 94. 9%

Attendance has dropped since we returned from the Christmas break, especially

in Years 9 & 10. Every day missed means

gaps in students’ learning, so it is important that their attendance remains high. Any holidays must not be

taken during term time and cannot be authorised.

(Unauthorised absences may result in parents being

issued with a penalty notice.)

Well done to all those students still on 100%

attendance!

Overall attendance so far (up to the end of January)…

House Competition UpdateAt the end of the first half term we calculated all the house points achieved so far. Points are awarded for high attendance, merits, good attitude scores on Progress Checks, completion of our Citizenship Awards and winners of our Golden Mile weekly run/walk. Throughout the year we also run various House competitions.

Overall standings (up to end of December)

E-Safety Message

Well done to Phoenix for being this year’s Art Champions and to Pegasus for being the winners of the PHSE competition. With less than 5000 points

between first and last, it is still anyone’s championship to win! Can Griffin hold on???

Year 10 Simon Crabb from James Lockyer Associates joined the year group at one of our January assemblies to discuss the many career paths in building and architecture. He covered the various paths that year 10 students may wish to look at when finalising their work experience placements which start on the week commencing 15th July 2019.

There are still a few students who have not completed their work experience paperwork and Mrs. Carlin or I am happy to help where necessary. Her email address is cocarlin@liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk. We are currently looking at the importance of sleep in our assemblies. One of the clips we have shown is very helpful and can be viewed by clicking HERE.

We will soon be looking for next year’s prefects. Mr Conroy will be speaking to the year group soon to provide information about the role and the process for selection.

Mr GluyasYear 11Year 11 are continuing to ‘step up to the mark’ in preparing for the Summer. We had a successful mock results day and, hopefully, this has given students an incentive to really apply themselves over the next few months.

We are very aware of the pressure that our young people are under and we are working hard to ensure that every opportunity is available to the students to prepare them for the upcoming GCSE’s. There are plenty of booster sessions both at lunchtime and after school. Students are also

welcome to attend EARN which is run in the Library and is supervised by a teacher. This is a great opportunity for Year 11 to catch up on the work and revision. EARN is now running Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school until 5.00pm in the library. There are lots of revision resources available, access to the computers, as well as support with homework, revision and coursework. Students who are attending regularly find that they get lots of work completed and are able to get home and take some time off knowing they are all up to date.

Following the mock results students completed a short questionnaire. Lots of you request-ed support with how to revise and so we will soon be running a revision-themed event. This will be an interactive session where students will look at how to set up a revision timetable, generate a mind map, make the best use of flash cards and learn some amazing mem-ory skills. Each session will be run by a different teacher and should give students a wide range of revision techniques to use in the run up to their exams.

On a lighter note the Finance Office have opened up an account for the prom and also for the Thorpe Park Trip – places are going fast so it is important that consent forms are handed in as soon as possible. Once I have confirmation of the cost of the Year Book and leaving hoodies then we will open up Parent Pay to allow you to budget if necessary.

Please also see a Careers update from myself on the next page.Mrs Snowling

staff member will then come and collect you. If you have any queries about the ‘Options’ process in the meantime, please feel free to contact myself on email or extension 132, or contact Mrs. Penberthy on extension 135.

Mrs Dove

Heads of Year MessagesYear 7

The Spring term has started well, with several students receiving subject specific Student of the Week certificates. Please ensure you check with your child to see if they have been awarded with one. These are awarded to students that go above and beyond in lessons to work hard and apply themselves fully. However, I would also like to request your support in developing our students’ tolerance and kindness towards each other. We have talked extensively about respecting other people’s opinions and ensuring we celebrate our differences. I have challenged Year 7 to do the following to ensure they are a kinder person around school. I would like them to be open minded,

respectful and to be more accepting of opinions. In addition, I have emphasised the point that we are all equal regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality and sexuality. This needs particular attention between lessons, at break time and during lunch. Your support in reinforcing these messages would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all parents who made it to Parents’ Evening this week, we had a great turnout and we hope you found the evening useful.

Mr Mitchell Year 8January back at school tends to start enthusiastically by all but then the dark mornings, rain and cold really start to get people down! Fortunately, Year 8 have had a lot to keep them busy and enthused this month. The whole year group spent a morning at the Eden Project for a Careers Fair. They were able to cook pizzas, experience virtual reality gaming and work with a butcher to handle the real internal organs of dead animals. 50 students were taken to Plymouth University for a Science and Technology showcase. Several Year 8’s were chosen to take part in Operating Theatre Live by the Science Department, an all-day event where they got to see and do what real surgeons do with patients, albeit on synthetic bodies! I have given out about 20 prizes for 100% attendance in autumn and Citizenship Awards in assemblies. Well done also to the winners and runners up in the PSHE House competition - all from Year 8: Frankie Burchell, Sophie Bunn, Joseph Shackerley and Caitlin Murray. The school had a big push on equipment in the first 3 weeks back, and most Year 8’s seem to have all the correct items now. Please encourage your child to organize their bag and equipment the night before school to ensure they arrive ready to learn without interruption. Lastly, commiserations to the football team who lost 5-2 in their recent County Cup match.

Mr GlasgowYear 9

We come to a critical, and exciting, time in Year 9 for our students - Options. It was fantastic that so many of you were able to make it to the Options Evening last week. From speaking to many students, it really did seem to help firm up their decisions about the next stage in their education. The next step is having an interview with either myself, or a member of Senior Leadership Team. If you were able to attend on the 30th, you would have signed up for a time slot. If you weren’t able to make it, you can contact Reception to book in a time. Please come

to Reception 5 minutes before your appointment, where your child will meet you. The

Contact DetailsPlease can I ask parents and carers to inform us of any changes to contact details. It is essential we have up to date information for at least two contacts for every student. Please email kajames@liskeard.cornwall.sch.uk with any updates. Many thanks, Mr Lingard.

What’s happening in Careers?Mrs Carlin has now interviewed all Year 11 students who have requested an appointment. She is in the process of catching up with everyone else in the year group, so at least they will have one interview with her, regarding their post-16 choices. Students can receive as much help as they need to secure their chosen route after Year 11, all they need to do is ask!

The Senior Management team will interviewing all Year 11’s in February to find out their preferred option and whether they intend to return to Liskeard School Sixth Form. We are very pleased to announce that the sixth form were the top achieving state school in Cornwall based on 2018 results.

College and sixth form open events are now coming to an end. If your child has still not visited their chosen provider, please check websites to make sure they do not miss out. The application process at a glance:

•Visit different providers to make sure the course is what you want•Apply for chosen post-16 option (or 2 - then make a decision in the summer)•Receive confirmation of receipt of application and details regarding an interview•Attend interview (if this is school time, please let us know)•Accept conditional place (dependent on exam results)

We will be holding Cornwall College and Apprenticeship information assemblies, along with drop-in sessions in the Library at lunch time during March - Advisers will be available to answer any questions students may have. If you have any questions or are worried about any aspect of the process, please contact Mrs Carlin on 01579 325716.

Mrs Snowling

Please ensure your son or daughter has the correct calculator for after half term. We ask that all students have a Casio FX83 GT Plus. These can be bought from the student shop.

Equipment notice - Calculator

Foodbank collectionA huge thank you to all who contributed to our recent charitable initiatives in the lead up to Christmas. These included donations through the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ scheme, through our Year 7 Homeless Appeal and through donations to the foodbank, all of which were gratefully received.

Liskeard Foodbank passed on their thanks for the school community’s contribution, and let us know that the donations collected at school amassed to a whopping 67.8kg!

We are really keen to maintain this charitable spirit in the new year, and in support of Pirate FM’s Tonne of Tins campaign, we are accepting donations at the school reception, which will be collected and passed on to Liskeard Foodbank - we simply ask that every student brings in 1 tin of food to Reception next week. Our target is to collect 100 tins to be passed on to the Foodbank. Thanks for your support and generosity.

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday 13th February, 5.30pm - 7pm

Music concert at Liskeard Town Hall in aid of CALM

Friday 15th February Break up for Half Term

Monday 18th - Friday 22nd February Half Term

Monday 25th February INSET Day

Tuesday 26th February Return to school - make sure you have a Casio FX83 GT Plus calculator.

Monday 4th March, 6pm PTFA Meeting, Sixth Form Common Room

Thursday 7th March World Book Day - Come dressed as a literary character (£1 donation)

Friday 15th March Red Nose Day (non-uniform day, £1 donation)

Friday 5th April Break up for Easter

Saturday 6th April Easter Fayre

@LiskeardSchool @Liskeard_School

CALM Charity Concert