As we approach the end of another busy half term at the academy, here are a few of the highlights.

 

Maths Week

The maths department delivered another amazing week of competitions and presentations on a maths theme. 

 

Students worked very hard on all of the competitions, which included Year 9s taking on an Apprentice style challenge, Year 8s designing a celebrity ‘crib’, and students playing the stock market with a Mathopoly Challenge.

Interspersed throughout the week were form group games, jokes, and an all school search for the ‘chosen one’. 

 

“parallel lines have so much in common, it’s a shame that they’ll never meet”

Staff involved in judging were very impressed with the effort, skill and hard work that students put in to the various challenges.    Well done to everyone involved.

 

Work Experience

Year 10’s are currently experiencing the world of work and students are spending the week on a variety of placements ranging from Pharmacies to Car Mechanics.  Work Experience is invaluable, helping students develop skills, exercise responsibility, think about next steps and consider what their future career might hold. 

We look forward to hearing all about their experiences on their return to lessons after the half term break.

Girls Football - County Cup Finalists

Congratulations to the academy Under 13 Girls Football team who are through to our first ever county cup final.  The team, made up of girls from Year 7 and Year 8 beat Rickmansworth School 4-3 in a very closely contested semi-final.  We wish them all the best for the final which takes place at the end of March.

 

 

House Photography Competition

Students are invited to enter the House Photography Competition, the theme of which is

The Place I Know

They can enter up to 3 photos each, in colour or black and white, no bigger than A4.  Photos can be digitally enhanced using Photoshop but they don’t have to be.  All students have been shown a presentation of ideas including a mind map.

 

Closing date for entries is 24 March 2017. 

Students should deliver entries to the Art department.

 

 

 

House Drama

House Drama took place yesterday evening.  A great time was had by all, and I will give a full list of results in the next blog.  Brilliant work everyone!

 

 

 

Upcoming events for your diary:

• Year 8 Options Evening: 27 February 2017
• Year 8 Parents Evening ‘A’: 7 March 2017
• Year 8 Parents Evening ‘B’:  9 March 2017
• Science Week: 13 to 17 March 2017
• Year 12 & Year 13 Internal Exams: 13 to 17 March 2017
• House Language Literature & Culture: 22 March 2017
• Year 10 Parents Evening: 28 March 2017

 

Christmas 2016

As the autumn term comes to a close, and we prepare for the festive holidays, it’s time to reflect on another busy few weeks at the academy.

Christmas Fair

The Bushey Academy Charity Christmas Fair was well supported again this year.  Thank you to everyone who attended, especially the students who helped to run stalls, made festive goods and baked cakes.  The grand total raised for the New Hope Trust was £1432.

 

 

Carol Singing for Charity

Earlier this month, 40 academy students braved both the cold weather and an early start to bring Christmas cheer to passengers at Bushey Train Station raising £487 for Mencap. 
 

 

 

Well done to everyone

involved for their fundraising

efforts this Christmas.

House Dodgeball
There was a great turnout of students and staff in the recent House Dodgeball event.  Top marks go to Whittle for winning on the day, with Marconi in 2^nd place, Babbage in 3^rd and Edison coming in at 4^th. 

Points are awarded to the houses throughout the academic year leading to one house being presented with the overall House Sports Award in the summer term, so it’s all still to play for. 

HSBC Mandarin Speaking Competition

In early December Joshua Twaites of Year 9 proudly represented The Bushey Academy to take part in the HSBC Mandarin Speaking Competition.  This was the first time the academy had entered the competition and Joshua did very well, speaking confidently and fluently.  We look forward to seeing what the competition may bring in future years.

 

 

Brilliant Club Scholarships

The Brilliant Club in association with Headstart EDT offer young people the opportunity to participate in a residential university course focusing on STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).  Three of our Year 12 students have been selected for a Brilliant Club scholarship and will attend a taster course next year at a top university.  Congratulations to Charlize Uy, Fred Wright and Fabian Mazurek. 

Christmas Carol Concert

Once again the music department did not disappoint with a superb carol concert at St. James Church, Bushey.  Almost 60 students performed, and the staff choir also put in an appearance.  Well done to everyone involved but especially to the students and musicians for all their hard work.

 
 
 

Year 7 Christmas Card Competition
 

Well done to Charlotte Fisher of Edison, whose timeless design became the official Christmas card for the academy for Christmas 2016.  Charlotte won an intu voucher and a framed card.  A big thank you to all the Year 7s that took part; choosing a winner was really difficult as the standard was so high.

 

Food! 

It’s been a super term for food at the academy as Key Stage 3 students have participated in Masterchef type activities. Year 7 completed a Cupcake Challenge and Year 8 undertook a Mystery Box Challenge.   All students should be proud of their efforts, achievement and creativity.

  

Year 11 Catering students were given the opportunity to work with the Executive Head Chef, Harry Lomas and Head Chef, Calvin Hill, from The Grove. The chefs worked with 42 students to mentor and coach them in the preparation of their dishes.  Students produced restaurant quality dishes which showcased their skills and knowledge of cooking.  The event gave an invaluable insight into the hospitality industry and the opportunities that may be available.

 

Upcoming events for your diary:

• Sixth Form Open Evening: 17 January 2017
• Proud to Belong Parent Forum: 23 January 2017
• How to support your child in maths: 23 January 2017
• Year 12 & 13 Parents Evening: 26 January 2017
• Year 11 Parents Evening: 31 January 2017

 

 

Celebration of Success 

 

Welcome back to the second half of the autumn term.  As we proceed towards Christmas, let us take a moment to look back on the celebrations at the end of last half term at our annual Celebration of Success event.

Once again, students were recognised for their achievements in different subjects, with a number also receiving special awards.  This year saw the inauguration of the new award ‘The Chair of Governors Progress Award’.  This important award for the academy highlights the journey that every child is on from the moment they join us to the moment they leave and cements our proud to belong ethos. 

The evening was interspersed with brilliant performances of music, drama and languages, and a talk from our Guest Speaker, Gilly Wiscarson. 

Well done to all the winners and performers involved. 

 

 

Iceland Trip

 

43 students and 7 staff braved the cold of Iceland during the half term break to learn about volcanoes and earthquakes.

 

Students visited Skogafoss, Gullfoss, Seljlandsfoss and Hjalparfoss waterfalls, Eyjafjallajokull volcano (the one that erupted in 2010) and visitor centre and the Hekla Volcano.  In addition they experienced the Geysirs and walked down the deep cracks of Thingvellir National Park, where the ground is being pulled apart by two tectonic plates.  As a treat they spent an evening in the Blue Lagoon and, to complete a superb trip, they were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights too.

 

 

House Music 

 

The House Music Competition took place on 10 November, and once again the audience were thrilled by the wealth of talent on display.  All of the performers were outstanding and the judges were put through their paces making the tough decision as to the ultimate winners.  The results were:

• Best Instrumentalist: Hannah Mokhtari, Year 7
• Best KS3 Soloist: Christian Gbadamosi-Harper, Year 8
• Best KS4 Soloist: Alana Nkadi, Year 11
• Best Composer: Mitchell Winn, Year 8
• Best House Band: Edison
• Overall House Winner: Edison

A special thank you to our G&T band, who worked tirelessly to support all of the acts.  Thanks also to our GCSE and A Level students who coached the House Band category.

 

 

U13 Girls Football

  

Well done to the U13 Girls football team who played very well in our County Cup quarter final and won 6 – 1.  Their victory means we are through to the County Cup semi-final which is a home draw. 

 

‘How to ….’

 

Following our Proud to Belong forum, on Tuesday 15 November, we held another of our highly successful ‘How to…’ evenings. This event focused on the importance of spelling, punctuation and grammar in the new GCSE exams. Our Head of English, Miss Burke, explained how parents could support their children so that, together, we can help our students achieve the best possible outcomes.

 

Our next ‘How to…’ evening is scheduled for 23 January 2017 and will focus on how to support your child in Maths. We look forward to seeing you there. 


Thank you for supporting our Christmas Fair on Saturday 26 November.  Lots of money was raised for the academy charity the New Hope Trust.

 

 

 

Upcoming events for your diary:

• Mock Exams for Years 11, 12, 13: 12 to 16 December
• Sixth Form Targeted Intervention Evening: 13 December
• Year 9 Parents Evening: 15 December
• Christmas Carol Concert: 19 December (change to previously published date)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebration!

This is a busy week as we prepare for our annual Celebration of Success evening. This much loved event is a highlight of the year, and gives us the chance to shine a light on the excellent efforts and achievements of a wide range of students. With so many wonderful students, it is always hard to decide who will win which award but the decisions have been made and this year’s winners will receive their prizes on Wednesday.

I have previously mentioned students who were involved in the Nuffield STEM placements over the summer, so it is nice to report that they presented their final projects last Tuesday and were recognised for their hard work and the quality of their projects. Max Aldous produced work of such a high standard that he was given the Gold Crest award, and all the students involved should feel rightly proud of their achievements.

Other Scientists in the Sixth Form were lucky enough to join their counterparts from The Watford UTC in attending a lecture and Q&A session with Physicist, Oceanographer, UCL Research Fellow and BBC Broadcaster, Helen Czerski. This rewarding session enriched post-16 studies, expanding on the topic of “The Physics of Everyday Life”.

House Music rehearsals are well underway, with the performances scheduled for 10 November. Remember to get your tickets early to avoid disappointment, as this is always an extremely well attended event and the quality promises to be exceptional again this year. Almost unbelievably, preparation for House Drama is now also getting underway in readiness for the competition on 9 February. As I said, it is a busy time.

Thank you to the parents who attended this year’s first Proud to Belong Parent Forum. I hope you found it useful. We welcome the chance to meet with parents and to answer your questions, and I look forward to the next forum after the half-term break.

Here are some upcoming dates for your diaries:

On 19 October is the Celebration of Success Evening, where invited students and parents reflect on some outstanding achievements during last academic year.

10 November sees this year’s House Music Competition in the Cube theatre. Tickets will be released soon.

On 14 November we have the next Proud to Belong Parent Forum, which is followed by a session on how to support your child with literacy.

Finally, on 23 November, we will be inviting parents of some Year 11 students in for some targeted guidance on how to get the best outcomes in GCSEs this summer.

Languages Week and Celebrations

Last week we had our annual celebration of foreign languages and cultures in Languages Week, with competitions, calligraphy classes, traditional dress, greetings in the language of the day and much more. Monday began with Mandarin, moving through Italian, German, Spanish and French as the week progressed, while Cucina did an excellent job of catering according to the food culture of each country. The week was so enjoyable that I am already looking forward to the House Language, Literature and Culture competition, and that does not take place until March.

In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us occupied, and the House Year begins this week with House Tug of War on Tuesday. It is closely followed by the House Music Competition on 10 November, the auditions for which have already taken place, and more House Sport competitions in the run up to Christmas.

Thank you to all of the families who have taken the time to visit the school following Open Evening. I am thoroughly enjoying showing you all around, and am looking forward to the final few tours in the run up to half-term. Please remember that it is essential that application forms are submitted on time. Missing the deadline can have serious consequences, and I have known families to miss out on a place at The Bushey Academy because their form was sent in after the deadline. We are oversubscribed, and I want to make sure as many pupils as possible get their first choice place.

It has been an exciting few days for the Sixth Form, with members of both Year 12 and Year 13 meeting with students from four other schools and professors at the Open University building in London to discuss religion and conflict over time. Separately, Dani Leigh Davidge, Abbie Butler, Adelina Frumuselu, Stefi Miller, Michael Wooler, Laura Kidd and Bethany Cummins from Year 13 all graduated from the Brilliant Club Scholars programme, which involved them completing a degree level project under the supervision of a PhD tutor. The celebration event took place at Kings College, London.

And finally, some great sporting news as our Under 13 girls football team saw off Queens’ School to reach the next round of the County Cup.  We keep our fingers crossed for the next match.

Upcoming events through October include:

5 October – The first of this year’s Proud to Belong Parent Forums from 5.15pm to 6.15pm. This is a chance for parents to meet members of the academy and have your questions answered. Please see the letter emailed to parents regarding how to submit a question.

Also on 5 October, running from 6.15pm to 7.15pm, Year 11, 12 and 13 parents are invited to attend sessions on helping students to revise for exams.

From 10 to 14 October is Year 12 and 13 Parent Contact Week, when subject teachers will call parents to introduce themselves and update you on your child’s progress.

On 19 October is our annual Celebration of Success Evening. Invitations to the families of prize winners will be sent out soon.

Open Evening Week

Last week saw our annual Open Evening for parents of prospective Year 7 pupils, and I was most impressed by the number in attendance. Well over 1500 visitors on what proved to be both a thundery and a humid evening. I was delighted that 230 students volunteered to attend in the evening in a whole range of capacities, whether as guide, departmental assistant, speaker, musician or even car park attendant. It speaks volumes for our ethos of being proud to belong that over 20% of the student population chose to give up their afternoon and evening to support their school. Thank you to everyone involved.

  

As you know, we take safeguarding very seriously at the academy, and our Designated Senior Lead for safeguarding, Mr Bilton,  is continuing to ensure that this is a high profile part of school life. As well as his Safeguarding Tip of the Week in main assembly, Mr Bilton led House Assemblies last week on how students can keep themselves safe online and out in the community. Mr Bilton also signposted our website, where students can find out how to get help if they have any concerns. I would encourage parents and carers also to have a look at the website, which gives guidance and a quick link where you can report any safeguarding concerns you might have. A link to the appropriate page is here.

We had a very enjoyable celebration assembly last Wednesday, focusing on students who have made the academy proud in recent days by their actions, including: Rebecca Russell in Year 12 for being a young curator at Watford Museum; Isabella Garter in Year 10 for her success in International Kickboxing; Jay Webster in Year 11 for his help on a school trip to London; Tyrell Celestine-Abbas in Year 11 for helping a new Year 7 student find his way around; Nejmi Sadak in Year 13 for completing his work experience at Scotland Yard over the summer break; Priya Patel in Year 13 for her completing her work experience placements at both Crystal Palace Football Club and Le Manior restaurant; Hannah Wales for taking the leading role in Fame with the National Youth Theatre in London; Ruby Ryan, Jessica Stocoe and Abigail Gullen-Grieve in Year 9 for their help with helping new Year 7 students to settle in; Holly West in Year 11 for dedicating herself in her summer holidays to excelling in her Art work; Cem Kiran in Year 11 for being a superb role model; Tony Garvey in Year 9 for being incredibly helpful and supportive in the History department; Davina Barrell-Macdonald in Year 11 for completing the Starlight Walk in her own time and raising lots of money for charity; and Sebastian Pira, Max Aldous and Michael Wooler for completing 4 week Nuffield Trust placements during the summer.

Here is another reminder of what is coming up this month. 

20 September: UCAS evening for parents of Year 12 and 13 students from 6.30pm to 7.30pm

27 September: 1-9 Information Evening from 6.00pm – 7.00pm: another chance for all parents of students in Years 7 to 11 to learn about the new GCSE 1-9 grading system, which replaces the A*-G grades.

28 September: Year 7 and new starter Form Tutor Evening from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

And during school time, Modern Foreign Languages week runs from 26 September to 30 September, so expect to hear all about different languages and cultures from your children at the end of the month.

Welcome back to a new school year following what I hope was an enjoyable summer for everyone.

As always, September is full of promise for the year ahead, but some of our students did not want to wait for the new term and spent their summer preparing for the future. From Year 12, three students successfully secured a summer placement on the highly competitive Nuffield Foundation Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme. Only 22 student across Hertfordshire were successful in joining this scheme, and so we were particularly proud of  Sebastian Pira, Max Aldous and Michael Wooler, who spent 4 weeks of their summer holidays working alongside STEM professionals completing real research projects.  This rigorous and academically challenging opportunity will position our young STEM students well for their upcoming university applications.

Meanwhile, our ongoing relationship with Access Aspirations enabled Year 13 students to undertake the type of work experience most can only dream of, with Assistant Head Girl Priya Patel spending a week working with Raymond Blanc’s team in the kitchens of the 2 Michelin starred restaurant Le Manoir, and Head Boy Nejmi Sadak using his break to work at Scotland Yard.

Beyond the school gates, I would like to congratulate Hannah Wales for playing the lead in the Youth Musical Theatre’s production of Fame in the Rudolf Steiner Theatre in London, and Rebecca Russell on the opening of an exhibition as a young curator at Watford Museum. It is always very pleasing to hear of the successes achieved by members of the academy as they pursue their interests and passions.

Over 200 new Year 7 students have settled in well to their first week at the academy, and I am pleased to say that the new break time arrangements are working well to enable the largest number of students we have ever had to eat and relax during their non-lesson time.

Coming up this month:

15 September: Open Evening from 5.30pm to 9.00pm

20 September: UCAS evening for parents of Year 12 and 13 students from 6.30pm to 7.30pm

27 September: 1-9 Information Evening from 6.00pm – 7.00pm: another chance for all parents of students in Years 7 to 11 to learn about the new GCSE 1-9 grading system, which replaces the A*-G grades.

28 September: Year 7 and new starter Form Tutor Evening from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

And during school time, Modern Foreign Languages week runs from 26 September to 30 September, so expect to hear all about different languages and cultures from your children at the end of the month.

It promises to be a busy term, and I look forward to bringing you the highlights as the weeks progress.