Dear Parents and Carers,

Christmas and the New Year is always a great time to take stock, reflect, revel in achievements and plan next steps to make further gains when we return to school. Our students continue to achieve daily.  On walking around the site we see all our new Year 7’s who are no longer new and almost seem part of the furniture as they chart their path to success at NLS. At the other end we see those in Year 13 at the subject consultation evening last Monday, gearing up for their final terms and the culmination of 7 years of study wondering where that time has gone. Wherever your child is along the journey, I hope they continue to challenge themselves and make the most of their opportunities each day.

You will see many wonderful stories in the bulletin from the fantastic charity and community events that have taken place this term to our hotly contested college activities and the rich curriculums being delivered in each subject area.  I hope this gives you a flavour of all the work here a school, our young people continue to be a credit to you and the school.

Well done to Binswood who top the most reward points gained this term. The new term will provide a number of opportunities again for students to win more Reward points.

Parents and carers of students in Year 8 will have already seen that Mr Foxon bids us farewell as he heads to a more senior role in another secondary school. I want to extend my huge thanks to Mr Foxon who has been a brilliant member of staff during his 10 years’ of service here at NLS supporting so many young people and families. I am thrilled in his promotion, I wish him all the best and am comforted by the fact he will add huge value to the lives of young people in his new school – you will be missed Mr Foxon.

It leaves me only to wish you and your families the very best Christmas and New Year from all the staff here at NLS. I look forward to seeing all our young people return in January for what I am sure will be another great term. As always, many thanks for all your support, our collective drive coupled with the efforts of our young people are what make this a great community.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mike Lowdell
Head Teacher

Well Done to Binswood who have achieved the highest number of reward points this half term. 

Our Year 13 and Year 9 Marketing Leaders have written this article. 

Inter-College sport

The recent inter-college sport competition was a highly anticipated event that showcased the talent and dedication of students eager to represent their Colleges. This tournament brings competitive spirit among the teams, promoting sportsmanship among participants. It is also a good opportunity for our own athletes to hone their skills both individually and as a team unit, emphasising commitment, opportunity, respect and excellence, the CORE ethos of North Leamington School. The sports on offer this term were football and netball. The talent and ability of our students never seems to cease in its growth every year, but more importantly the teamwork and collaboration to recruit the teams and then work together to compete for the pride of the College was as exceptional as ever, which is what this event is all about.

Anti-bullying week

Anti-bullying week is a very important event and this year it allowed students to take part in activities and discussions during  tutor time and to wear odd socks to promote individuality, acceptance and tolerance, to show we are all unique and different.

NLS X Factor

‘I want to see talent’ announced judge Shingai, at the start of  North Leamington’s X Factor show in aid of Children in Need and he was not left disappointed. Mr Rae opened the show in front of the ‘loudest crowd ever’ (as verified by our presenters Mr Foxon and Mrs Barley-Morey) with his version of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ to a raucous reception. Impressively, he was also the only one to play his own music. Next up was a crowd-favorite duet from Mr Royle and Miss Howard, performing Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ accompanied by a host of props, including the Croft snake mascot! The acts continued to roll at the same extraordinary rate of quality and enthusiasm. Mrs Hill gave a spell-binding performance as Elsa from Frozen, in her wedding dress, whilst Ms Norman impressed as P!NK. Our Sixth Form judges were full of acclaim, and occasionally constructive criticism, for the staff stars, with stage presence and crowd noise catching their eye the most. There was no stronger contender in these departments than Ms Elliot with her rendition of ‘Shake it Off’ by Taylor Swift. However, there could only be one winner. After much deliberation, the judges awarded the prestigious award to the talented trio of Miss Clifford, Miss Sears and Miss Reed, or the Backstreet Boys as they were known as on the night. With the phenomenal amount of money raised of almost £900 for Children in Need, the audience won’t be the only young people who will have benefitted from the event.

Remembrance Day 

On the 10th of November, the whole school gathered in a service  of remembrance. After watching an emotional powerpoint we moved outside to the courtyard for our service . Senior student leaders (Shingai and Grace) read a remembrance poem and a parade followed to lay a poppy wreath led by our own students who are members of sea and army cadets. These gatherings allow us to reflect on all the conflicts of the world and realise how lucky we are. 

Christmas hamper appeal

The Christmas hamper appeal is one of our most important charity events. Each tutor group have their own hamper to fill, with the students tasked with providing items to add to it. Each tutor group then selects who they would like, in the community to receive the hamper.  

Christmas rewards celebration

This term, the students with the highest reward points in each year were treated to a showing of a Christmas film to celebrate their efforts. To achieve this, these students have regularly adhered to our world class basics and have gone above and beyond in lessons to further their learning, as well as other achievements outside the classroom. This event presented the perfect opportunity to recognise the efforts of students of all capabilities. This is an event which repeats throughout the school year, with a slightly different reward each time, so if anyone missed it this term, they can make aim to climb the leaderboards next term, when the points are reset.

Christmas Jumper Day

One of a number of fantastic Christmas charity events we enjoyed this festive period was our Christmas jumper day on Friday 15th December supporting Save the Children. The  generous donations made by our students will hopefully help in improving the lives of less fortunate children and their families over a period which can be difficult for many. There were an amazing range of jumpers displayed by our students this year and it was such a fun way to raise money for a deserving cause.

Student mentoring

Pairing up some of our younger students with senior students has bought an excellent number of opportunities and benefits. Older students have been able to offer advice and guidance from their many experiences at NLS to ensure our newer students can make the most of their time here and learn from the successes and experiences of some students. Our mentoring programme in something that we continue to develop every year, and it continues to vastly enrich the experience of many.

Student Leadership Training Day

Our student leadership training day provided an opportunity for all of our leaders to come together, from our Junior Marketing and Sports Leaders to our Senior and Assistant Senior Student Leaders. Each leadership team completed their own tasks. For example, the marketing leaders judged the Tutor notice board competition whilst the College Leaders worked on their College displays. All the leaders also received training on leadership style and strategy from Mr Foxon, Mr Schofield and our Senior Student Leaders, Shingai and Grace. This event was also very useful to plan for the year ahead and for some of the leaders in sixth form to get to know their younger counterparts.

Thomas H & Isabella P -Year 13 Assistant Senior Student Leaders, Marketing.
Ashley C, Evie P, Bella L, Daniel P, Will K, Emma B, Matilda L, Sophie M, Amelia P, Rugved K, Naomi P,  Reuban P, Mickal P & Evelyn O - Year 9 Marketing Leaders.

Year 13 students have successfully completed Theme 1 and 2 and are rising to the challenge of learning Theme 3 Decision-making techniques - Quantitative Sales Forecasting, Investment Appraisal, Decision Trees and Critical Path Analysis.  Students are also focusing on their pre-release topic for paper 3; clothing retail and manufacturing and continuing to review revision resources for Year 12 work identifying any gaps in knowledge. The November mock exam was also an opportunity for students to identify areas of development and support required. Students are developing their application skills through researching news articles and applying it to content learnt in lessons and have cerate their own newsletters.

Intervention is in place every Wednesday 3.15pm – 4pm.

Year 12 students have completed Theme 2 Raising Finance and Financial Planning.  Students are developing their application skills through researching news articles and applying it to content learnt in lessons.  It is imperative that all students complete revision resources, using chains of argument, key terms and practice questions from the portal.  

We recommend all students purchase a copy of the Business Revision Guide and textbook.  Pearson REVISE Edexcel AS/A level Business Revision Guide & Workbook: for home learning, 2022 and 2023 assessments and exams.

Year 11 have started Topic 2.5 Making Human Resource decisions this half term.  They really enjoyed the talk from our Human Resources Assistant  Mr Langley. Interleaving and revision helped students to prepare students for their recent mock exams and it is imperative that all students continue to update their revision resources for all topics covered in lessons.  Students need to ensure they are completing practice questions to identify areas of development.  Intervention is available every Tuesday 3.15pm – 4pm.

Year 10 have enjoyed learning about Topic 2.1 Growing the Business.  Students have been researching  mergers and takeovers that have taken place over the last five years.  It is imperative that all students complete revision and practice questions from the workbook to check understanding. All students should have a copy of the Business Revision Guide and Workbook. 

Year 7 – What is a Computer?
This half term students have developed an understanding of the differences between input and output devices including the IPO model.  Students have been able to recognise the key components that make up a computer and explain their functionality.  Students gained an understanding of  the function of the CPU and its relationship with RAM and the hard drive including the F-D-E cycle.

Year 8 – Computer Control
Students have applied their learning of computational thinking to understand flowchart symbols and create algorithms in the form of flowcharts this term.  Students have used specific software (e.g. Flowol) to apply their learning to create a series of algorithms that solve real life problems.

Year 9 – Python Programming
This half term students have revisited prior learning from Year 8 and developed their understanding and capabilities in using a high level programming language by exploring the use of selection and iteration.

All of our GCSE students have continued to develop their programming skills using a high level language (Python). In addition to this …

Year 10 – GCSE Computer Science
Students have studied in depth an understanding of the Cultural, Moral, Environmental and Legal issues surrounding computer science with a key focus on how to answer high mark essay style questions in the exam.

Year 11 – GCSE Computer Science
Students are continuing to develop their ability in answering exam style programming questions whilst revisiting topics taught in Year 9 and 10 and being tested on more in depth exam style questions.

Year 12 – A Level Computer Science
Students have been developing their understanding of how data is exchanged between different systems by learning about compression, encryption and hashing techniques. They have also been learning about flat file and relational databases with the use of SQL.

Year 13 – A Level Computer Science
Students have continued to develop their programming skills using a variety of high level languages (E.g. Python, SQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript) and applying these skills to tear individual programming projects combining this with their understanding of development methodologies to create the ‘story’ from beginning to end of their solution.  This has come to an end this half term.

Extra Support – GCSE and A Level
For all our GCSE & A Level students there is a continued promotion of using the Smart Revise platform to develop and enhance student’s ability to recall information and facts plus improve their use of literacy and keywords around the subject. Your support by encouraging your child to engage with this at home on a regular basis is much appreciated. Each student has their own personal login and can access the platform on any device through a web browser.  At GCSE we also run an after school support club once a week on Wednesdays with Mr Challice.

Computing Club
The club now has a regular steady group of students numbers from Years 7 to 10. Students get involved in a range of activities from Coding to Lego to Games.

CISCO Certificates & iDEA Award
We are still continuing to offer CISCO certification and our latest certificate (Linux Unhatched) has now ended.  Look out for the next course early next year. 

We also encourage all KS3 students to at least complete the Bronze award for iDEA.  This is something students can access at home as well as in class, students have their own individual logins for these.  This half term we have seen Sofiia and Alex achieve their Bronze certificate and Aarav complete his Silver certificate … well done!

These courses are an invaluable addition to CV’s, references, College and University applications plus apprenticeships.

College FIFA Competition 

This half term we have run the NLS FIFA Knockout Competition.  All years were invited with teams made up of two players from the same college. We had 32 teams enter and the final came down to BA representing Croft College versus COYS Boys representing Binswood College with COYS Boys coming out on top. 

 Well done and congratulations to Oscar and Ed! 

Look out for the next gaming competition in the new term.

Computing Literacy
The computer science department now has a selection of fiction, non-fiction and coding books plus a range of revision guides available to loan from either the department itself or the school library to supplement homework and NLS literacy focus as a whole.  We also have a large selection of computing magazines. 

We will be adding to this over the next year so, if you have any recommendations that you would like to see included, please email Mr Sycamore to add to the reading list.

Year 7 have continued to develop collaboration skills working in groups.  Students have had the opportunity to create a small performance based on a well-known story using Drama strategies such as Still Images, Narration, Thought-Tracking, Cross-cutting and Transitions.

Year 8 have worked well collaboratively in groups to devise Drama. Students have created a small performance based on a well-known story in the style of Mischief Theatre (The Goes Wrong Show) exploring comedy and Pantomime.

Year 9 have watched a digital Splendid Theatre performance of Macbeth and worked collaboratively to create their own devised performance based on a well-known story using the ‘Splendid’ approach to story-telling.

Year 10 GCSE students have continued working towards a devised performance that is 40% of their final GCSE grade. Working collaboratively, as a designer or performer, to create a performance based on a stimulus of their own choosing. Initial ideas range from:

• Project Mincemeat (WW2) To explore the  1943, British elaborate plan to mislead Germany about UK invasion plans
• To explore stories that reflect the role of women at the heart of conflict around the world
• To share stories of those impacted by county lines
• To demonstrate how women are constantly pressured by societal standards and social media ideals to present themselves in a certain way

Students will be performing in the Spring Term and have a rehearsal set as a homework each week.

Year 11 GCSE students are revising Component 3 Theatre Makers in Practice (Written Exam) - there are two areas of focus.                        

1. Study of one complete performance text. (An Inspector Calls by JB Priestly)

2. A live theatre evaluation. (Noughts and Crosses)

This half term students have continued to revise Section A of the written exam. In the exam students will be given an extract from the play and they will need to answer questions from the perspective of:

Performer, Director & Designer. Checklists are in place for each question to identify what they need to revise and includes exploring the plot, characters and themes and focus on the Drama terminology needed in the written responses for both Performers and Designers. Revision of context when the play is set (1912) when the play was first performed (1945) and the opportunity to practice exam style questions has taken place.

Students have also revised Section B of the written exam and worked to improve their live theatre notes based on Noughts and Crosses in preparation for the exam along with practicing exam style questions.

For homework this half term Year 11 have been rehearsing for their Component 2 Performance exam in the Spring term.

Year 10 & Year 12 Theatre Visit to see Life of Pi

A letter has been sent for the visit to the National Theatre’s performance of ‘Life of Pi’ at The Curve Theatre on Tuesday 12 March 2024. This trip will prepare students for their GCSE/A-Level Component 3 Theatre Makers in Practice examination which is worth 40% of their GCSE and A-Level and we hope as many students as possible are able to attend.

We have been advised that during 2024, tickets to Loft Theatre productions will be free to those aged 16-25 years. 
Further information can be found here

KS3 Update
Year 7 students have continued investigating representations of literary villains, analysing how writers use language to represent their various villainous idiosyncrasies and have then been using these new found skills to write about their own villains: creating them, describing them and adding them to a story of their creation. Most recently they have also been persuading their fellow classmates that their villain is the most suitable to assist The Grinch in stealing Christmas.  

We have seen some truly impressive pieces of homework coming in. Students particularly have enjoyed the freedom that our homework menus have allowed where students choose the piece of homework that they complete and submit it to be marked  Students’ books are overflowing with wonderful pieces of work and we thank you parents and carers for the time you have taken in assisting them with these pieces. Some examples of what has been produced are below:

Year 8 have turned their hands to non-fiction writing. Students have been writing speeches (including their own anecdotes) in response to prejudice and discrimination within our society. During Christmas week students have had a taste of Media Studies as they have worked to create their own chocolate bar campaign/ pitch. Mrs Wright’s Year 8s were also tasked with creating their own Foodimals (animals that are part food) as one of their homeworks. There were lots of amazing examples with actual food and one student drew this example of their foodimal.

At the start of next term, Y8 will be embarking their study of ‘The Tempest’. To kick start this, students will take part in a workshop which will introduce them to the setting, characters and/or themes of the play. We hope that this will ignite their enthusiasm for one of Shakespeare’s most magical and wondrous plays.

Year 9 students have produced and performed their own speeches some examples of this from Mrs Wilson’s group are below:

Next half-term they start to look at Shakespeare’s play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and this marks a huge leap forward in the challenge of their studies as this play is often used as one of the GCSE set texts. 

KS4 Update

In Year 10, pupils have studied A Christmas Carol this half-term and have continued to make a really pleasing effort to continue to develop their knowledge of the set GCSE texts. Students have developed their understanding of the assessment objectives. After Christmas students will begin to cover English Language paper 1. The writing component of paper 1 requires students to write a description or narrative. Students can begin to prepare for this by reading a range of fiction sources and working on learning some of those tricky spellings.

Some of our Year 10s have also completed some excellent pieces of homework during their study of A Christmas Carol. Some examples are shown below:

Year 11 are currently completing working on revising and completing their English Language and Literature mocks. This will give pupils an overall grade for both GCSEs and allow pupils to have a clear overview of what they are doing successfully and also further target areas of revision. It has been really encouraging to see so many pupils attend after-school revision sessions to further develop their knowledge of the texts. After Christmas Year 11 will be working on English Language paper 2.

Year 11 Revision Sessions

In preparation for their mock exams in English Literature record numbers of our Year 11 students have been attending revision sessions on Tuesdays. A special mention goes to Miss Williams for organising, and to the staff who ran the sessions. Students came away feeling much more confident about the tricky elements of the GCSE English Language and Literature courses and our staff thoroughly enjoyed their enthusiasm for wanting to improve.

KS5 Update

Our Year 13s this term year have undertaken their first mock exams and have a real taste of what their final exams will be like in the summer. There were some fantastic responses and many lessons learned for where the EBIs are for the summer.

English was hugely popular at the Sixth Form Open Evening this term with many prospective Year 11s looking to study one of our A Level options: A Level English Literature or A Level English Language and Literature. We were strongly supported by some of our Year 12 students helping the many enquiring Year 11s. If any parents or students wish to know more about our A Level options, please email: jbarrett@northleamington.co.uk.

Rewards in English

We LOVE recognising how amazing our students are in English and our young people may have noticed our board on the English corridor. Every half-term, the class with the most reward points will be awarded a prize (get your child to ask their teacher for more details). Students with the most reward points looked as follows:

Year 7                                    Year 8                            Year 9
1.    Flavi J                              1.  Ayla K                        1. Amber B
2.    Image S                          2.  Lily P                         2. Maisie H
3.   Sophie M                        3.  Jessica P                    3. Aran J

Year 10                                 Year 11
1.   Ted E                              1.   Katy L
2.   Emego N                       2.   Fletcher A
3.   Archie L                         3.   Jacob S

For the last two weeks of term, we are celebrating students who have achieved the most R1s and R2s for Literacy. The top students from KS3 and KS4 were entered into a prize draw and these are the winners who were randomly selected; congratulations!

KS3                           KS4

Alex H                    Amelia K

Arun J                    Charlotte B

Elsa C                    Chloe M

Emily W                Evelyn E

Errol W                 Kameron L

Gaia T                   Levi R

Jack D                   Martin S

Jude P                  Rosa F

Stanley J              Sophia B

Will K                   Will B

Celebrating Diversity and Equality in the English Department
Students engaged with important events and discussions about Black History Month in October and last week, celebrated Human Rights Day in the English department. Students completed a speaking and listening activity where they had to engage with what they thought their human rights were, the history of the day and consider any of the texts we have studied in the curriculum that might highlight where basic rights are not always met. It was great to hear so animated discussions from our students!          

Year 10 - GCE Media students have           
continued with their mock coursework.
Students are exploring the mystery film genre by analysing the trailers for some well-known mystery stories including Murder on the Orient Express, Get Out and Knives Out to help students develop a throughout understanding of genre. 

Year 11 GCSE Media students have completed their C3 NEAs and, a few will need to make some tweaks to this after Christmas, have received feedback on these – their excellent marks boding well for a successful set of results in the summer.

Intervention is available to make final adjustments and contact will be made by the Media team to ensure that students know what they need to do and how and when to make those improvements.

Students have examined the ways in which music videos represent gender and ethnicity through two modern music videos: Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood and Justin Bieber’s Intentions and through the 1990s hit for TLC Waterfalls. They have also been viewing the websites of the two modern artists to examine how the technology monetises the brands of the two artists. This culminated in the students being examined on all of this in their recent mock exam.

Year 12 have been focussing on how representations of events in The Times and The Mirror present differing perspectives and how this links to audience and the industry in which they feature.

Year 13 students continue reviewing some of the topics that they have covered this year and completed their first mock exam after half term. This mock provides a real bench-mark for where the students are and look for areas of improvement that are required as they move towards their final A Level examinations in the summer of 2024.

On Monday 20 November all year 11 Geographers undertook a day of Geography fieldwork in the city centre of Birmingham. They were investigating the opportunities that urban regeneration has brought to the city.

We visited 4 sites across the city starting in Brindley Place, we then visited the library and saw the amazing views from the roof top garden before moving onto  exploring the shops and restaurants in Grand Central Station, we then ended our day in the Bullring.

All students represented NLS superbly and were a pleasure to take, they were even asked to carry out questionnaires with members of the public which they did so with great effort and good manners.

A very productive day had by all, well done! 

Well done to all Year 11 Travel and Tourism students who have now completed all of their coursework, some outstanding marks achieved. They are now onto the final component, component 3, which is the unit in preparation for the exam in the summer.

Year 10 have been exploring how different factors (e.g. smoking, alcohol, supportive friends, living in an urban/rural area) can impact an individual’s health and wellbeing. More specifically, they have been looking at how those factors may impact individuals differently depending on their life stage. For example, living a rural area could have more negative impacts on those in later adulthood socially (in comparison to those in early adulthood) as they lose their independence and mobility making it harder to travel further distances to see friends and family. They will be having a practise assessment in this in the upcoming weeks so that they are all set to start the learning for task 3 of component 1 after Christmas where they will explore how different life events can impact an individual’s health and wellbeing.

Year 11 have completed their second component of coursework ‘Health and Social Care Services and Values’ which comprised of five written tasks and equated to the next 30% of their BTEC course.  Students have been incredible in completing this coursework with excellent attendance to intervention and all going the extra mile.  Students will receive the results of component 2 in March ahead of their examination unit. 

For the final term students will be completing component 3 ‘Health and Wellbeing’ where they will be working through three learning aims to prepare for this exam.  The knowledge they will be developing and re-visiting is how factors affect health and wellbeing, health indicators and person centred care.  This will provide students with the knowledge and understand to not only assess what is impacting an individuals’ health and wellbeing but also how to support recovery.  The transferable skills from this examination unit will be invaluable for those students considering a career in a Health and Social Care sector or pursuing the level 3 qualification at A level. 

Our Year 13 Health and Social Care students are over half way through the teaching of their examination unit. They have recently completed a longer assessment, applying previous learning and the skills we have developing in class and smaller assessments. They performed well and have reflected well on their actions and areas for development. They will have a further practise in January before a full paper in February in the next mock examination window. We are on track to complete the teaching of the course before the Easter holidays, allowing additional time for revision within lessons. Students continuously improve and develop their revision resources and are very happy to be quizzed on these at home! We always appreciate your support in preparing the students for their exams. Alongside this, the students are also working well on their coursework element and are well on track to finish. Don’t forget to look at the optional reading and watching section on the ‘Curriculum Overview’ – some interesting, topical and very useful reviews of their learning that is accessible for all and provides some interesting options for debate at home/with friends!

Year 7 have been studying William’s the Conqueror’s consolidation of power  and has focused on the Harrying of the North, the Feudal system, motte and bailey castles and the Domesday Book.

Year 8 continue their focus on the Tudors and Stuarts. So far they have covered the Reformation under Henry VIII and its impact under his heirs Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. From January we begin the Stuarts with James I who took the throne in 1603 following the death of Elizabeth I without any heirs.

Year 9 have completed their focus on the First World War  and then move onto World War II. We begin with an assessed piece of work on the causes of World War II and the role played by the British government’s appeasement policy. We then cherry pick the most interesting aspects of World War II, including evacuation, whether the evacuation from Dunkirk was a triumph or a disaster and the Blitz. Please look out for a research homework project asking the students to research their family’s involvement in World War II.

Year 10 continue to work through paper 2 of their GCSE this year. We are currently looking at society under Elizabeth I, including poverty and exploration to the New World.

Year 11 complete Paper 3 in Year 11. We have been working our way through the politically and economically turbulent post-WWI period in Germany and will then begin looking at the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Year 11 have a full paper 1 – Medicine - mock exam this month. They were given a schedule to support their revision back in September, so please be aware of this and offer any support at home that you can. They will be given another revision schedule focused on paper 2 when we return in January. If you are yet to do so, I recommend you purchase a revision book to support with this. Please contact your child’s History teacher if you have any concerns or need any support with revision.

Year 12 Historians are working through paper 1 – Britain, 1918-97 and the USA, 1955-92 – which is their focus for the year.

Year 13 historians have started Paper 3 – the British Experience of warfare – and working on their coursework at home with a view to handing in their first draft before we break up for Christmas.

Year 12 Politics students are working through paper 1 and 2 – British Politics and British Government – which is their focus for the year. We are fortunate to be able to take the year 12 students on a visit to parliament this January, a very successful trip already taken by year 13 this term. It is important that students keep abreast of contemporary political events by reading broadsheet newspapers, following politics programmes on TV and radio and listening to the podcasts that have been suggested to them in class.

The same applies to year 13 to enable them to comment on contemporary events in their June exams. They will also need to follow global political events which is the focus for their paper 3 which looks at Global Politics.

Year 7
The students have now settled into their new maths groups and have made good progress throughout this term.  We have had a great term  learning about Decimals, Factors, Multiples, Primes and negative numbers.  Don’t forget there is a Maths Club every Tuesday in S205. 

Year 8
Students have had a great term.  They have been learning all about Number, Sequences, Angles and Probability.  We were very pleased with the results of their first test and look forward to the parents evening coming up next term.  Don’t forget there is a Maths Club every Tuesday in S205.

Year 9
Students have now begun longer modules with a more intense test at the end of each module.  Student resilience has been excellent and we are very pleased with their progress so far.  Students have been learning about Number, Angles and Fractions, Decimals and Percentages.  We are very impressed with student engagement and participation so far!

Year 10
Students are now well into the Key Stage 4 curriculum and have made excellent progress so far.  They have been working hard on mensuration and algebra throughout this term and module test results have been very encouraging.

Year 11
Our Year 11’s have now completed their first set of mock exams in maths and have shown real potential and resilience so far.  We are so pleased with the positive attitude of our Year 11 cohort and are now in the process of preparing them for their second set of mocks in February.  After school revision sessions on Thursdays will start in the new year, as well as receiving lots of practice papers.  Don’t forget to use MathsGenie and put in at least 1 hours worth of revision per week from now on!

Year 12
A level can be a  big step up for Year 12 students, but to their credit they have risen to the challenge and are doing well with the extra workload and greater thinking skills required to succeed.  They have now completed two sets of tests and progress has been very encouraging.  Further Maths is also doing well, with students showing great insight and resilience and some extremely encouraging results so far.  Don’t forget the revision sessions!

Year 13
Are now well into the A level course and have completed the entirety of the Statistics course and have sat their first mock exam in October.  Results so far have been really encouraging, and now is the time to really set the bar as high as possible when revising and ensuring every single aspect of the course is learnt as fully as possible.  With the final set of mock exams coming in February we are sure our Year 13 students will rise to the challenge and achieve excellent grades.

Year 7 have been learning numbers in the ‘All about me’ topic and have been using mnemonics to learn the more challenging spellings e.g. zehn (10) (zebras eat hot nuts). There has been a continuing focus on phonics, especially the (ie / ei) sound in German and (é / è) French.  

They have been playing bingo, dice activities and drawing monsters with many body parts to continue to further develop their dictionary and literacy skills, whilst identifying plural spellings and genders. They will continue to use the four key literacy skills; Listening, Reading ,Writing and Speaking in the context of ages and dates for birthdays and a wider variety of conjunctions and intensifiers will be introduced.

St Nicholas Day is celebrated widely across Europe on 6th December and in Austria they have Krampus who will deal with any children who are not being good. There are now Krampus runs and parades in Southern Germany and Austria.

Year 8 continue to develop their knowledge of the ‘school’ topic and more recently looked at school uniform and food in the canteen, giving positive and negative opinions. They have been using the laptops to be creative and design their ideal school menu.  Within this topic dictation and phonics  have been a focus and we have introduced modal verbs with school rules. They have also researched some Christmas traditions and other festivals celebrated in different countries and compared these traditions with how festivals are celebrated in the UK.

Year 9s topic has been  My Social Life. They have been identifying different genres of film and explaining their opinions and enjoyed watching the series EXTRA, which they have found very funny and it helps to develop their listening skills.

They have also been describing actors, including physical appearance, personality and their fashion,  and using the laptops to find and describe their favourite stars. They are now enjoying discussing social media and learning lots of new verbs, whilst revising places in the home and time phrases.

Year 10 - the Spanish fast track group have been learning all about Theme 2 Holidays including weather, activities, travel and accommodation. They have enjoyed the cultural aspect which involved researching the festival of “The Day of the Dead”.

In French and German students have been  learning Theme 2 Unit House and home which has involved applying their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to discuss where they live, describe houses, areas and rooms. Students have also been developing their research and analytical skills when comparing “Family Life in France and Germany” to here in the UK.  

Recently they have focused on prepositions when describing different locations and revising and extending the number of verbs in the past tense and evaluating daily routine in different places or situations such as homelessness. Students have enjoyed being creative and acting out police interviews with criminals providing alibis using their routine at home.

By applying 3-4 tenses their knowledge and application of complex structures has developed. Students continue to develop their knowledge of vocabulary and listening skills using various Language websites such as Blooket, Language Gym and Duolingo, which are all excellent for independent learning. Vocabulary learning weekly is very important in languages and there are many excellent resources available to students. Please help them by testing them at home.  Learning ought to be carried out  in short periods regularly throughout the week.

Well done to Year 11 for all their efforts with their first mock speaking exam. We were delighted with their progress.  Students have developed their understanding of how the process works and how to manage the nerves when being recorded. The importance of revising well in advance and accurate use of tenses has been reinforced. They were then able to listen back to themselves and evaluate themselves against exam board criteria, which they found very useful.

In French and German they have been learning about jobs / careers, including how languages can help them achieve success in later life and provide numerous wonderful opportunities for business travel and experiencing different cultures. They learnt how to answer interview questions in different tenses and write CVs in the target language, which prepared them nicely for their real interviews with employers in December.

In Spanish students have been learning about the environment and social issues, as well as charity work. Working abroad with a charity or environmental organisation is another great opportunity with a language, in many different countries if you can speak Spanish.

Regular vocabulary learning is most important now for the reading and listening papers using GCSE Bitesize, Language Gym website, german-games.net and flashcards. Reading for pleasure independently is important using www.yahoo.de  or www.yahoo.fr and listening to films / series on Netflix in the target language (with subtitles).  Year 11 are nearing the end of their Learning Journey. Therefore, it is very important that they are revising the topics from Year 10 (Theme 1 Family / relationships) Theme 2 house, town, at home, festivals. Theme 3 (School / Education).

In Spanish students have been learning about the environment and social issues, as well as charity work. Working abroad with a charity or environmental organisation is another great opportunity with a language, in many different countries if you can speak Spanish.

Support for students continues available after school every Thursday, including exam skills, vocabulary learning or just dropping in to ask a question.

The Winter Music Concert on 5 December was a tremendous success.

As always, we had a wide variety of acts in the concert, ranging from solo performers through to our large ensembles (Pop Choir, Wind Band, Steel Pans and String Group). The students performed  winter-themed pieces, creating a magical atmosphere. More than 70 students were involved in the concert and every year group in the school was well represented. The music department are extremely proud of all our talented young musicians who get involved with extra-curricular music at NLS.

Year 7: Expression in Music & Pitch in Music - Expression
This unit of work focuses on music appreciation, composition and sequencing, exploring the use of musical devices to create ‘expression’ in music. Students have been provided with listening tasks to develop their understanding of how musical elements can be applied to enhance a story. Students were then tasked with using music software to compose a musical soundtrack for a fairy tale to enhance the action, drama and emotion in the narrated text. Students have begun to develop their musical sequencing and editing skills alongside elements of composition and theory.

Pitch - This unit of work focuses on performing written music. Students have developed their practical music-making and keyboard skills alongside their understanding of pitch. Notated music challenges students to consider note placement and pitch in order to reproduce famous musical melodies, whilst developing their keyboard and collaborative skills. Students have been encouraged to perform to the class for assessments and build confidence through shared music-making experiences. Resources are provided to offer students of all musical ability the opportunity to access the curriculum and develop musical understanding.

Year 8: Winter Story
This unit of work focuses on music appreciation, composition and sequencing, exploring the use of musical devices to create ‘expression’ in music. Students have been provided with listening tasks, including programme music, to develop their understanding of how musical elements can be applied to enhance a story. Students  were  then tasked with using music software to compose a musical soundtrack for a ‘Winter Story’ to enhance the action, drama and emotion in the narrated text. Students will continue to refine their musical sequencing and editing skills alongside elements of composition and theory.

Year 9: Game and Film Music - Performing/Composing/Sequencing
This unit of work focuses on students collaborating in pairs or small groups to compose and produce a soundtrack for film. Students have used sequencing software to edit film and reproduce a soundtrack, including special effects and music. Students 'analysed a range of film genres including, comedy, action and thriller to understand how music can be used to enhance the action and emotions on screen'.

Performing -This unit of work focuses on students collaborating in pairs or small groups to perform a chosen film or game soundtrack. Students have been encouraged to develop their practical, technical and collaborative performance skills, practising and performing challenging notated music. They have also considered the film/game genre and apply genre-specific stylistic or musical features to their performance. Students are encouraged to demonstrate a disciplined approach, review their work, monitor progress and identify areas for development.

Year 10: BTEC Music Level 2: Component 1
Students have been preparing for Component 1 and 2 of their course and have learnt a range of musical styles and tasked with performing, reproducing and composing pieces to demonstrate their practical/instrumental/music-making skills. Alongside their practical work students produced written analysis and reviews to demonstrate their historical, contextual and theoretical knowledge.  

Year 11: BTEC Music Level 2: Component 2
Students are completing their PSA for Component 2. This unit is focussed on students developing and demonstrating their music composing skills using a combination of music software tools, live techniques and instrumental skills to explore, compose and realise their creative ideas. They are composing music to reflect the theme of Celebration, providing written analysis/reviews to record their progress and demonstrate their knowledge.

Year 12: BTEC Music Level 3: Unit 39 and 23 
Students in Year 12 are developing their knowledge of the music industry and exploring how the different areas are interrelated. Students study job roles, venues, contracts, marketing and business plans with a view to building a comprehensive understanding of how the industry operates and the potential career opportunities and use their time to continually develop their performance skills and broaden their musical repertoire.

Year 13: BTEC Music Level 3: Units 33 and 40
Year 13 are currently in the process of compiling a programme of solo music. They will perform their music in a 30 minute recital in March 2024. They are also collaborating with other musicians to develop a musical ensemble and set of music to be performed at upcoming events.

Extra-Curricular 
There are a variety of extra-curricular music opportunities on offer at NLS.

Wind Band: Tuesdays 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Rock Club: Wednesdays 3:20pm – 4:20pm

Pop Choir: Wednesdays 3:30pm – 4:30pm

Steel Band: Wednesdays 3:30pm – 4:30pm

String Ensemble: Fridays 3:30pm – 4:30pm

This half term has seen a large number of fixtures in a variety of Sports

Our Year 7 Football team continued their unbeaten run, beating Kineton 4-0 in the league and Aylesford 3-1 in the cup. The Year 8 team recorded another league victory, with a 4-1 win over Kenilworth School, and also beat Lode Heath School 2- 0, in the English Schools National Cup competition, before unfortunately losing in the next round 4-3 to The Warriner School, from Banbury.

The Year 10 Team remain undefeated by beating Stratford 4-3. They will aim to keep their impressive run going with 2 games in the first week back after Christmas, when they will face Myton in the league and last season’s cup holders Alcester Grammar in the Cup competition.

The Sixth form team won their second game of the season, with a comprehensive 8-0 victory over Aylesford before suffering a 1 -0 defeat in a very even match against Kenilworth. They are hoping to reach the final of the Cup by overcoming Alcester Grammar who they meet in the semi-final in the New Year.

A mixed Year 8 and 9 Rugby team played Myton, under the flood lights at Old Leamingtonians Rugby Club, with NLS  putting up 82 points to 10 points in a dominating win. The Year 10 Rugby fixture against Kenilworth was unfortunately called off due to a frozen pitch, but will be rearranged for the New Year.

The Year 8 Basketball team played their first ever game and demonstrated their potential with a convincing 47 – 6 win over Aylesford in the district competition. They also started their Jr NBA national league campaign against Rugby Free School and Parker E-ACT Academy. The Jr NBA competitions involves 30 Schools from around the country get the chance to represent a team from the NBA in a national competition. Despite a nervous start, the team went on to dominate their guests and although the game lengths were reduced, managed to win by 20 and 30 pts respectively and put themselves in a great position to win their group and progress to the play-offs.

The Year 9 Basketball team also started their District campaign with an impressive win and a balanced team performance, with a 51-32 victory over Southam School. Well done Boys!

The Girls Netball fixtures continued this term with the Year 7 and 8 teams playing against both Myton and Kingsley. The Year 8s lost 16 – 8 against Myton, but secured a win against Kingsley, 10 – 7. The Year 7s Netball team continued to dominate their opposition, beating Myton 19 -1 and Kingsley 19 -2 to remain undefeated. The Year 9s and 10s played 2 very strong King’s High teams and did themselves proud in 17– 5 and a close 14-11 loss, but then bounced back with the convincing wins against Campion, with the Year 9s and 10s winning 13-0 and 14 -1 respectively.

NLS have also been competing at three different age groups in the England schools National Squash competition. The KS3, 4 and 5 teams competed against Solihull School, Bromsgrove School, Rugby School, Tettenhall School and King Edwards School, Birmingham. All three teams have successfully qualified for the next round, where they will play schools including Manchester Grammar School and Winchester College. Good luck to all three teams.                                                    

Students have also had the opportunity to take part in inter-college sports, with all year groups given the chance to compete as part of their Colleges in Football and Netball competitions. While some competitions were disrupted by the weather, many were able to play four matches against Colleges to crown a winner in each year group. Well done to all those pupils who came after school to compete.

The Nutcracker Ballet Birmingham Hippodrome Trip

Year 11 BTEC Dance students were able to watch a live performance of The Nutcracker at The Birmingham Hippodrome performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet this half term. The students had a fantastic time and were able to see professional dancers in a theatre setting in order to learn about key performance skills for their final component of their course (as well as getting into the Christmas spirit!!). I hope they took some inspiration and ideas ready to go into their choreography component after Christmas. Miss Davis

Many of our students undertake The Prince’s Trust pathway. The Prince's Trust (PT) is a charity organisation founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It runs a range of training programmes, providing practical and financial support to build young people's confidence and motivation. The Prince's Trust is one of the most successful funding organisations in the UK and is the UK's leading youth charity.

At NLS, we utilise the schemes of learning and opportunities that the PT offers to enable some of our most vulnerable pupils to achieve. Recently, this has allowed our Year 10 students to receive the Prince’s Trust Award after the successful completion of two Level 1 units of learning. Our Year 11 students have been working on their units for three years now (with many completing six units) and are on track to achieve the Level 1 Diploma at the end of their Year 11. If any students have any outstanding work that has not been entered into their folder, please ask them to submit it, either to me at the address below or to their teacher for PT.

In Year 10, our students have been completing work on managing money. Some examples of what our students have been working on are below:

In Year 11, our students have been working on their chosen careers, looking at how they would explore this through advertisements, applications and interviews. Some examples of their work is below:

If you wish to have any more information about The Price’s Trust, please contact jbarrett@northleamignton.co.uk

Year 7:

Our Year 7 students have been looking at what it means to be British and exploring our British values including; democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

Year 8

Our Year 8 students have been have been looking at transferable skills this half term.  We have seen some great examples of team work and communications as students completed to build the biggest towers in lessons. Well done Year 8!  

Year 9

Year 9 have been looking at workplace and enterprise skills and career pathways and have been reflecting on their own skills and interests to help them prepare for choosing their options later this year.

Year 10

Year 10 have been looking at money matters and have been developing their understanding of credit and debit cards and consumer rights so if you need to return anything after Christmas they will be able to tell you all about your rights of return!  

Year 11

Year 11 have been studying issues around financial risks and the effects of gambling. We have been really impressed by their engagement and the maturity shown when looking at real life stories of young people impacted by gambling. Year 11 will explore this further in their tutor time PSHE sessions next half term.

Year 12

As part of our living in the wider world unit Year 12 have been looking at exploring options available to them after A-levels, including university, gaps years and entering the world of work. Students have discussed and reflected on the potential pros and cons of each option for young people depending on their interests and circumstances. .

Year 13

Year 13 have been exploring issues relating to healthy relationships including positive communication in relationships. We have also revisited contraception and examined the different methods available and the potential consequences and risks involved.   

What have we been studying?

Year 13 have continued to debate some of the key issues that we study in Psychology e.g. is our behaviour due to our nature or nurture or both? As a class they achieved highly in their most recent essay assessment reflecting their hard work and efforts in this topic.

Students have been exploring in depth one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses: Schizophrenia. With respectful and compassionate minds, they have learnt about the symptoms and experiences those with Schizophrenia have to live with on a day-to-day basis, such as visual and auditory hallucinations and discovered different approaches to explain the illness as well as the difficulties surrounding diagnosing and treating Schizophrenia.

They have also been working hard to make some fantastic synoptic links between this topic and the issues and debates topic by identifying how some of the key issues that Psychology as a whole faces links to specific areas in schizophrenia. For example, the negative ethical implications that theories such as the ‘Schizophrenogenic mother’ can have as it puts blame on the mother of a child with schizophrenia. The essay assessment completed this week will be followed by a topic test after Christmas.

Students have also studied a very popular topic -‘Forensic Psychology’, examining the ‘why’ behind criminal behaviours, why criminals do what they do. What might have caused Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy to become psychopaths?. These questions have been asked for decades so students have explored historical as well as more modern explanations and research into criminal behaviour. We have studied how psychological theory can help us profile and catch criminals in Britain and the US and how judicial systems work and their effectiveness. A very enjoyable term for both the students and the Psychology team.

Year 12 are almost at the end of the social influence topic and have explored how society and our environment can influence the way we behave. They have applied their knowledge to key events in history, such as why Hitler was able to control as many people as he did and why the Nazi’s obeyed his orders. They have also looked out how the Suffragettes campaigned for the right of women to vote whilst developing essay writing skills which will be transferable across future topics.

In the key approaches in psychology topics students have studied ways in which different researchers may go about trying to research and explain behaviour. For example, within the learning approach, behaviourists are only concerned with measuring observable behaviours to understand how people learn whereas the biological psychologist are more interested in the genes and brain activity people may have that could have led to a specific behaviour.

They now move onto the ‘Memory’ topic  to explore the different theoretical models that have been created to try and explain the way humans process information, such as the multi-store model. This has included participating in experiments to demonstrate just how unreliable our memories can be despite the fact memories of eyewitnesses are often heavily relied upon in court.

As we move forward with the topic we will start to explore the implications unreliable memory can have on court trials (e.g. wrongly convicted of a crime a person did not commit) and ways that we can improve our memory! This topic will prove particularly beneficial as students approach their mocks as they’ll now know the best ways to revise to ensure they can remember as much information as possible for their exams!

Each month we choose students for the Psychologist of the Month award, based on  their commitment to the subject, in and outside the lesson, along with improved or sustained progress. In November our year 12 Psychologists of the Month were Ava B and Noah B and in year 13 Emily R and Issy G. This month, we are pleased to announce Ben K and Issy P as our year 13 winners and in year 12, Puran S and Harry O.  Each students received an R3, an email home, a post card  and a book relating to psychology. Keep up the great work everyone!

Psychology Club launched this term and has proved very successful - you can read more about this club in the Extra Curricular section below.

Year 13
Year 13 have been busy this half term debating some of the challenges to Christianity including whether science has made religion obsolete and how and whether salvation is an option for atheists and those who have been excluded from religion. It’s great to see our students growing in confidence and eager to share their views.   An intervention timetable will be shared at the start of the spring term, please encourage your child to attend these sessions.  

Year 12
Our Year 12 students have continued to make good progress. We are currently studying the problem of evil and will be examining theories on where evil comes from and how God fits into a world where evil and suffering exist. After Christmas we start to prepare students for their February mock exams. Please encourage your child to start their revision early and to attend the revision session on offer.

Year 10
Our Year 10 students have been exploring issues of Human rights and we have enjoyed lots of interesting discussions on how the declaration of Human rights is interpreted and used the UK and around the world. The second RE mock exam will be in February and revision resources for this will be available on Go4schools from 21 December to allow students plenty of time to prepare for this. If you have any queries about this or how to support your children to revise at home, please contact the RE team.  

Year 9
Year 9 students have been working on Christian beliefs this half term which is part of Paper 2. They have been exploring the key events in the life of Jesus and the impact of these on individuals and society.  Please encourage your child to check Go4Schools regularly so they can access all homework tasks and revision materials which will consolidate their learning.

Year 8
We were very impressed by the quality of the Mandir projects completed at the beginning of this half term. It was a pleasure to pop into lessons and see the effort and creativity students had put into this.  

Recently we have been studying the problem of evil and again Year 8 have produced some fantastic collages depicting natural and moral evil in the world. The bar has been set very high for future homework tasks!

Year 7
Year 7 have continued to impress us in lessons with their enthusiasm and eagerness to contribute ideas to class discussions. We have been exploring Buddhism this half term and we are excited to see their Buddhist temple homework projects after Christmas. Remind you child to check Go4schools for the details of this homework and the deadline for completion.

Year 12 Biology- Enzyme Action
Our year 12s have completed a Required Practical this term, investigating how substrate concentration affects enzyme activity. The investigation was undertaken to ensure that they are suitably prepared for the written examinations. The specified practical work also enables students to demonstrate the skills and techniques that need to be directly assessed and give opportunity to meet the CPAC competencies. They all did incredibly well.

GCSE Biology: How do cells replicate?
As part of the Year 10 Biology learning journey, students have been studying the process of Mitosis. They were taught the principles and the process involved and then had the opportunity to take a creative approach to model it using plastercine!

Each group were given a short time frame to produce their model and explain each step through a whole class presentation. They were able to articulate how the chromosomes duplicate, align at the equator of the cell, get pulled to opposite sides of the cell until the cell pinches until it becomes two new identical cells.

Having a visual representation really allowed students to understand this topic in deep detail. The outcomes of their models were superb and gave them a thorough insight into how one cell became billions!

Year 10 Physics- Light behaviour  
Year 10s carried out some experiments to investigate reflection and how light behaves when moving between materials such as air and glass. Using this, they were able to work out that the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. They also described how the speed of light changes when it moves between mediums, causing a change in direction.

This is a step on in student’s learning journey from Year 7, and now students can describe why these changes occur. It will lead to also support them when they study lenses later in the topic, and further support any students who want to take Physics A-level in the optics section of the course.

Year 13 Sociology students had the fantastic opportunity of visiting the Warwick Justice Centre this half term.  On our visits we were greeted by the district judge who talked to the students about how the court system works.  The judge also shared his journey in becoming the district judge informing the students on all the different strands of law there is to specialise in.  Students were invited to sit at the judge’s bench and get the full scope of what it feels like to lead a courtroom and ask any questions they had. 

Following the talk students observed a case taking place from the public gallery.  The experience of watching a high stakes case, where we were sharing the public gallery with the victim’s family, was a first for all of our students. 

It was a fantastic experience to meet barristers, clerks, judges and ushers who made the students feel more than welcome during their visit.

It’s been another fantastic half term with all students consolidating their learning into strong outcomes. Congratulations to our year 11s on completing their NEA 1 component worth 60% of their grade. Students work has also been on display for the past two months in the Art Box Gallery at Clarendon Avenue in Leamington.

Year 7 students have applied their knowledge of Formal Elements, in still life recordings with great success. Students have been encouraged to draw from different viewpoints and find different ways to draw still life from first-hand observation to using a grid method on a photograph.

They have looked at the techniques of artists like Roy Lichtenstein, learnt that from a good drawing they can trace and develop new artwork, exploring line, pattern and colour.

Year 8 students have chosen five natural forms to record the shape, texture and form of these in materials they enjoy. Below are some great examples from their sketchbooks. Students planned and completed a larger final piece using their learning, adapting the scale of their sketchbook recordings and considered colour, materials and background for effect.

Year 9 students have consolidated their learning drawing facial features and proportion in two drawings of themselves using a mirror and a traced photograph. They have demonstrated the use of pencil tones, blending and detail to skilfully record themselves. Students have risen to the challenge and produced superb self-portraits ready to manipulate further over the year. There are so many good self-portraits, this is just a selection from 9T

After Christmas students will explore the surreal portraiture of Hannah Hoch and generate celebrity surreal portraits and use last terms self-portrait in a surreal collage to take into new and exciting artwork. The aim is that students learn to manipulate a drawing, so having a good drawing or two can help them create imaginative and personal outcomes.

Year 10 students have chosen one of six starting points for their sustained investigation for NEA component 1. All students have started investigating Artists to respond to. They have photoshoots, drawings and ideas created in their sketchbook and after Christmas will take their best idea into a final piece.

This is just some of the brilliant sketchbook work they are producing. The topic fear and phobias seems to be the favourite this year chosen by many students.

Year 11 sketchbooks are full of fascinating and individual research and responses. Students have used class time for their final outcomes, produced fantastic pieces in a variety of materials and scales and some of their work is below (they are close ups rather than the whole piece); the work is stunning. It’s been a delight watching them create such fantastic work.

The NEA 2 project starts the first week back and concludes in a two-day practical exam. Students will use this time to create recordings, research, ideas and plan final pieces. With such fantastic skills we are sure students will again amaze us and we look forward to their pieces.

Year 12 have started their short personal investigation in preparation for their NEA which will start after Easter. There is such a wealth and variety of art they are studying and below are examples of research or ideas have produced so far. They are doing an amazing job, as they continue to explore materials and find their own personal style.

Year 13 students are on the final stages of their NEA component 1 personal instigation worth 60% of the final grade. They are working hard on refining and tweaking this final piece to realise their intentions. Students have pages and pages of work just like the ones below. 
Well done Year 13 and good luck with your university applications interviews. Fingers crossed.

We have had an exciting term here in the Photography studios following on from the fantastic results in the summer set of external exams for both GCSE and A Level students.

Our A Level courses are progressing well with Year 13 due to complete their Component 1 coursework at the end of January and will then be given their Component 2 externally set assignment with starting themes set by the exam board. 

Year12 students have made a great start to the course exploring varied different skills and techniques with them currently exploring the theme ‘Tell Me a Story’. Students are using lots of different approaches and media. Below are examples of exploring using projection in their work.

Year 11 have been working hard to complete their Component 1 NEA coursework assessments which are 60% of the total marks. When they return after the Christmas break they will start their Component 2 externally set assignment with starting themes set by the exam board, culminating in a timed ten-hour practical exam at the end of April.

Year 10 students have now formally started their Component 1 NEA investigations with an overall theme of Light which they can explore in different ways. They are initially looking at and analysing Photographers’ work to then inspire their own photoshoots and development of ideas. Below are some of their starting points.

Year 9 students are exploring Photography through their main Art curriculum with one lesson every two weeks. They are learning about Formal Elements in Photography with a focus on Composition and Tone this term. Their latest exploration had them building paper sculptures and lighting them in different ways to explore tonal variations.

Year 7 Still Life Photography Challenge
Year 7 students completed an optional Photography challenge to link in with their knowledge they have been learning about composition and still life in their Art lessons. Below are some of the results

Year 7 students have now completed their Pop art inspired doughnut keyrings and are using their skill to make a Jon Burgerman inspired pizza decoration, with some using Christmas as inspiration too.

Year 8 students are completing their packaging inspired cushion covers, using tie-dye, applique and embroidery. They are also getting an opportunity to use the sewing machines for a professional finish.

Year 8 have created some amazing homework this half term that reinforce the learning of applique in the classroom.

Roisin’s fold out guide has been photocopied and will be used as a teaching resource in the classroom.

Year 9 student have been busy completing their T-shirt, bag and scarf designs before the end of term. They were inspired by artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Using a range of techniques; stencil printing, applique, fabric pen, sublimation printing and stitch.

Year10 have begun their main coursework projects (component 1 – worth 60% of final grade) Choosing their own subthemes based on the broad title ‘Environment’. They have started by creating an interesting range of recording studies, using a variety of techniques, such as monoprinting, collage, felting and painting. Great start!! 

Year 11 have been busy working to complete their coursework projects (worth 60% of their final grade) work is based on their personal themes and has seen a variety of outcomes, from corsets to umbrella hangings. They will then begin their new exam based project in the new year. A little snippet of the variety of work created is below.   

Year 12 & 13 Art Textiles A Level has been a hive of activity with Year 13s working on their final pieces for component 1, ready for hand in just after Christmas.

Year 12 have been honing their skills  working on their mini personal project – using a variety of techniques and processes

 A Level Product Design
Students are well underway with the NEA which will see them through to year 13,  the assessment which is not dissimilar to the GCSE NEA is a far bigger and more analytical project aimed at students designing a product based upon an everyday problem. 

Students are also using their lessons to develop their knowledge of the world of engineering and manufacturing looking at how materials are made and the economic impact of our consumerism.

Students can utilise the facilities of 2D design from home by downloading the software onto a PC. Their work is really taking shape with some examples of  fabulous designs.

The class are already at the point of creating specifications for their products and are very detailed and clear in what they are planning to make. One student  is  using her own experiences of her passion for dance to aid her in her design ideas.

Year 11 Food Preparation and Nutrition Practical Assessment
Our second NEA has been a priority for our GCSE Food students.  Lots of detail about their practical assessments can be found on Go4school along with additional resources to help support them in the completion of their assessment. Mrs Ross and Miss Collins have been and will continue to offer additional support sessions after school on a Tuesday or Thursday to ensure all students can really feel confident with this assessment.

The completion of this will contribute towards 35% of their overall GCSE and the deadline will be for the Easter holiday.

These are some examples of the great products that we have made so far.

Year 11 Design Technology
The classes are well underway with their NEA and are currently moving on to the planning for their modelling and have completed some excellent design work.  The NEA will be due for the end of March and support classes are being offered by Mrs Long and Mr Batchelor so please encourage your child to attend these sessions so they can make the most of the NEA which contributes to 50% of their GCSE.

Year 10 Design Technology
Classes have started working with new materials in particular making a product from metal.  The classes have also been focusing on hand tools and using a range of tools to create specific joints.  Many of the tasks and projects that Mr Batchelor and Mrs Long are teaching the students are skills that are so essential to life beyond the classroom and the current projects are certainly supporting this skill building aspect of the course. Throughout the year we will keep you updated with the new and exciting projects that we have planned but some of these will be –
Bird Boxes
Storage box
Use of Laser cutter

These are a few examples of the work that students produced at the end of last year using the 2D design.  Both Gabi and James became very proficient in the use of the software and went on to create playing cards as part of the graphic design aspect of the course.

Year 10 Food
Next year in 2024 students will be continuing to work on the theoretical elements of the course in particular concentrating on the Food Science sections of the course and discovering the impact of sustainability in the food industry.  A few more complex dishes will be made such as a vanilla slice using a puff pastry and crème patisserie, a roasted vegetable tart and more free choice cooks to allow greater freedom to students. These are some photos of our recent complex cook of a piped biscuit – Viennese whirls

Year 7 and 8 and 9 Design Technology classes
Classes are now working on a rotational system with Art Textiles,  Food Prep and Product Design the first of these rotations will take place after Christmas.  Students will hopefully be able to show you some of the lovely items they have made in the workshop or in the food room.  Thank you again to parents for supporting us by providing ingredients for the food lessons.  If any of you have spare containers such as empty sweet containers or ice cream tubs we would greatly appreciate having these to support students who may at times forget to bring the correct container for their food.

Well done to 7LE/7RT/7AM who have worked so well to complete their keyring project. They have worked well independently but also shown great team work helping each other. Well done!

KS3 Enrichment Activity Opportunity
We are looking to offer Year 8 and 9 some new opportunities after school in the next term.  A 4-week course offering students an opportunity to cook will be offered after the half term and also a new Robot Wars enrichment will start  for students keen to work on a 3D printer.  Students will need to sign up – more details to follow in the new term.  Students will need to be prepared to bring ingredients for the cooking session and a container and those not selected from the first round will be rolled over to the next term.

On Wednesday 29 November we had a fantastic day learning all about food miles, Fair Trade and planting our own microgreens with our guest speaker.

Students were able to grow their own microgreens from dried peas and learn about how and why growing our own food can be more sustainable.

These are some of the things the students said they enjoyed:

Year 8 International Leaders

On Thursday 23  November our International Leaders met with students at our partner school, Anjuman-I-Islam Girls High School, Mumbai. They had lots of interesting questions prepared and discussed the different schools. Our students really enjoyed hearing about their new AI and robotics curriculum that they have started in India, but were shocked to find out that there are 60-70 students per class. It was a great opportunity to build connections and learn more about each other.

Fair Trade School Accreditation

We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved the next level of the Fair Trade school accreditation. We are now a FairActive school, which demonstrates our commitment to raising awareness among our students about Fair Trade. Students have had to deliver assemblies about Fair Trade, set up a Fair Trade group, run a bake sale and all of Year 8 took part in a workshop where they learnt about sustainable consumption and Fair Trade.
Achieving this award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our students leaving NLS as truly global citizens.

Vibe Drama Club launched this half term and is led by Year 9, 10 and 11 Drama Leaders.
Year7 VIBE have been exploring Mask Workshops and created a short performance that will be performed at the end of term in a VIBE Celebration Event.

Year 8 and Year 9 VIBE have been exploring a project based on Highly Sprung’s Urban Astronaut.

RSC Associate School Updates

The RSC Ambassadors have been working with Drama Club to raise funds for a theatre visit to see First Encounters Romeo & Juliet in the Spring Term. As part of the Winter Concert they organised a cupcake sale with a Shakespeare theme and raised £30. The winning cupcake designs went to Emilia in Year 7 with runners up Indi, Jessica and Ellie.

Psychology Club
Grace S and Emily L are both extremely passionate year 13 students who have applied to pursue Psychology at University. From this passion, they have started the Psychology Club hoping to enthuse younger year groups and give them a taster of this A-Level subject. We have been very impressed with their expertise in the subject and their planning of experiments and delivery of complex theories. Emily and Grace are really thrilled with the engagement at Psychology club so far, with many enthusiastic students! They have covered an introduction to Psychology and how psychologists run experiments. We are looking forward to covering neuroscience (as suggested by one of our students), and how to run our own experiments in the next few weeks. We will update you on the experiments the students complete in the Spring term.

On November 23 our Bronze and Silver participants from last year received their awards at our DofE Awards’ Ceremony. It was a fantastic evening with parents and families attending to celebrate with our young people:

This year we have broken previous records in terms of numbers and have over 100 participants for the Bronze Award from Year 9 students and have over 60 Silver participants for this year.

For the first time in the school’s history we have launched and are running the Gold Award for our Year 12 students. This award is the one that universities and employers want to see and really distinguishes those who have achieved it from other applicants. The Gold Award requires students to undertake one of their sections for 18 months, includes a four day walking expedition and a five day residential. The award culminates with a presentation for those who complete it at Buckingham Palace and NLS will be taking our first ever cohort there in 2025.

If you wish to have any more information about The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, please contact jbarrett@northleamignton.co.uk and more information can be found on our website in the extra curricular section.