Department Achievements 2021 – 2022

Art

• The Art Department run weekly after school trips/visits to the Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield.
• The Art Department launched the Pottery Club for pupils, attended each Wednesday after school.

Design Technology

• A range of clubs offered throughout the year including: DT Club on Thursdays after school, Textiles Club on Mondays after school and Food Club on Wednesdays after school.

Drama

• The National Theatre converted our main hall into a theatre to perform, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ to nearly 200 pupils from Year 9 and GCSE Year 10 and 11 pupils.
• Chinese Lion Dancing for the whole of Year 7 – this involved a full performance and workshops throughout the day.
• Drama Club performing a short play to friends/family.

English

• All Year 7 and 8 pupils were bought a fiction book of their choice from a list by BookBuzz for them to keep.
• Year 10 and Year 11 watched a performance of An Inspector Calls and took part in a Q&A by Manchester Actors.
• The Department runs a Games Club and Creative Writing Club.

Geography

• Key Stage 3 (Year 7 – 9) Geography Club has been running successfully since March – some activities have included tasting traditional Brazilian sweets, investigating Brazil’s favelas and building a favela using recycled materials.
• Year 7 pupils have all had the opportunity to complete local fieldwork on the site at Crofton Academy. As part of this, they collected, presented, and analysed data.
• University of Leeds Geography Department have visited school to deliver ‘Radical Geography’ sessions Year 8 pupils.

History

• Weekly History Club for Year 8. The group have made models of World War 1 trenches and medieval castles.
• Weekly intervention sessions for Year 11 have been held throughout the year.

IT/Computing

• We held a Year 7 e-safety poster competition with awards for the top three in each class and the top five across the year group are now displayed in classrooms.
• Robotics and programming extra-curricular activities have taken place throughout the year where pupils built and then programmed a range of physical and virtual robots.
• Coding Extra curricula intervention for Key Stage 4 (Year 10 – 11) pupils.
• Micro:bit challenges have been running throughout the year, pupils worked at home and at school on various challenges.
• The department has held a ‘Programming with Scratch’ game design competition.

Library

• Accelerated Reader:
  • Quizzes Passed: 5,794
  • Quizzes Attempted: 8,817
  • Words Read: 171,255,364
  • Books Loaned: 4,771
• Reading Buddies: 18 Year 10 pupils have become reading buddies for 18 Year 7 and 18 Year 8 pupils, they meet during Form Time once per week, split into two sessions.
• Small Group Reading Interventions: 27 Year 7 pupils, 29 Year 8 pupils meet in small groups once per week (15 min) for a block of five weeks. Pupils who completed a Star Reader assessment in week six had a range of growth from –0.01 to +2.00 years.
• Differentiated Form Time Literacy: An identified group of four Year 8 pupils have been having Form Time Literacy in the library. This has allowed more time to focus on new vocabulary and check individual understanding.
• DEAR (Drop Everything And Read): extracts replaced with actual books in every classroom. 
• Book Club Extra Curricular: pupils enjoyed short stories by Ransom Riggs, created event displays and had book tastings.
• Pupil News Extra Curricular: small-leaf shaped recommendations have been compiled to create a recommendation ‘plant’.
• Chess Club Extra Curricular: pupils from all year groups have engaged in chess together, they also encourage other library users to join in and learn the game. 
• Sliver Stories Extra Curricular: selected Year 7 pupils have consistently read two books over the phone to one Silver Listener.
• Homework Helpers: An established group of pupils who help other pupils to complete homework.
• Increased book resources: nearly 1,200 books have been sourced mainly through donations, £372.93 (65% of annual budget) has been spent on brand new titles, including the Carnegie short-list 2022.
• Increased Computer Resources: 30 laptops are available for identified pupils and an additional sixteen netbooks are available to complement subjects, extracurricular activities, interventions, boosters, homework help and detentions.
• Introduced Non-Fiction Selection: non fiction books are available for reference, including reprints of original WW2 magazines, revision guides and text books. There’s also a limited number of non fiction Accelerated Reader books.
• Careers and Further Education Section: prospectus’ are available for college, university and specialist centres across the UK. Pupils have found this beneficial for checking that their chosen academic routes are in line with their chosen careers. It has also broadened choice and opened possibilities.
• Created Classroom Libraries: every classroom has a small selection of books on hand to make reading opportunities more accessible.
• Created Mini Library in Student Services: 100+ books are now available to read within student services.
• Roald Dahl Day, Halloween, Poetry Week, Christmas, Competitions.
• Book donations: approx 1,200 books have been added. 

Maths

• Introduction to Sparx for online learning – The school is in the top ten out of all schools in Yorkshire for maths Sparx homework completion.
• Pupils took part in the Junior Maths Challenge achieving gold, silver and bronze awards.
• Year 7 completing the board game project, working collaboratively to produce a maths board game.

MFL

• French cafe with pupils for Open Evening to give Year 5 & Year 6 pupils an introduction to languages.

Music

• 48 pupils (and increasing) enjoy peripatetic music lessons each week and we have visiting specialists in singing, piano, strings, brass, drum kit and guitar.
• Extra Curricular takes place every lunchtime with over twenty pupils each lunchtime attending extracurricular ‘Rock up and Play’ lunchtime music club. A different year group has access every lunchtime where our pupils enjoy enrichment in singing, piano, drum kit and guitar. 
• Summer celebration of music event where our pupils from every year group are given the opportunity to perform on stage in the hall.

Personal Development

• Aim a Little Higher – Year 7 motivational speaker.
• Rugby League Cares – Year 7 and Year 8 mental health and wellbeing.
• Spectrum CIC – RSHE education and sexual health Year 9-11.
• ICAN (Richard McCann guest speaker) – motivation and positive thinking Year 10.
• Just like us (LGBT+ awareness) Year 7 and Year 8.
• Restart a heart – Year 11.
• The basics of first aid – all year groups.
• Work with companies including Yorkshire Water, HMRC and Equans – experience with employers.
• Guest presenters including financial advisor (basics of budgeting and tax Year 8 and Year 9), Leeds United foundation (Credit Union workshop), Samaritans and Anti-semitism talk.
• Careers fair with local providers including colleges, training providers and university – Year 9 and Year 11.
• College taster days for Year 11 and Year 10.
• Excellence academy Year 11.
• STEM workshops at Wakefield College Year 8 and Year 9.
• Learning curve taster day Year 10.
• Mock interviews and virtual work experience Year 10.
• CV writing and support with HMRC Year 10.
• Careers interview with school CEIAG advisor and college application drop in support sessions
• Enterprise Advisor support from OE Electrics including presentations to students in Year 8
• NCS.
• Careers week and apprenticeship weeks – work in lessons and form.
• Eclips and Careerpilot intro for all years.
• Riot Act – Year 7 road safety awareness.
• Rail safety awareness – Year 7 – 9.
• How to report unwanted attention all years through assemblies.
• Online safety – through Wellbeing Wednesday and assemblies.
• Chinese Lion dancing Year 7.
• Alcohol awareness – Smashed online.
• Prison Me No Way – Year 9.
• Year 9 options support through Which Way Now.
• Natwest Careersense workshops Year 10 and Year 11.
• Trialled for Natwest Careesense a new project with Year 9.
• LMI workshop with Leeds City College.
• Assemblies with local college s and Amazing Apprenticeship.
• Year 11 revision session with guest speaker.
• SLC working with Spectrum to produce video on consent.

Wider Curriculum/Kindness

• Key Stage 3 Jubilee Quiz – linked to Her Majesty the Queen and a thank you message.
• Children In Need – half of amount raised through £10 challenge.
• Save The Children – Xmas Jumper day.
• Asda charity Xmas work – this year it was linked to Homestart.
• St Catherine’s foodbank.
• Send Xmas cards to local area and schools/businesses.
• 999 Cenotaph.
• Wakefield Hospice (through Head Boy/Head Girl bun sale).