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Spring 2015
27th March 2015
Oak Bank Newsletter
Your School | Your Education | Your Learning Family
Executive Head Teacher News
As always, it is with huge pride that I have enjoyed
reading all the news from the different
departments within the School celebrating all the
achievements and successes of our students.
The dedication of the entire staff team in providing
such a diverse range of opportunities and such
personalised support deserves huge praise. A
massive thank you to all staff for continuing to
make everything about Oak Bank ‘special’.
Despite a term of anxious waiting, we have still not
been visited by Ofsted yet. We can therefore now
be confident in anticipating an inspection
sometime during the early part of next term. I am
certain that when the call comes, the staff and students will demonstrate to the inspecting
team the continued progress the school has achieved since the last inspection.
As many of you are aware, the school has been consulting in relation to our desire to extend
the School’s age range to include a 6th form. The consultation period has now finished and I
am pleased to report that of the 129 responses we received, 127 were in favour. The
application to open a 6th form will now be submitted to The Department for Education and we
will hopefully receive notification of a successful outcome sometime in the Summer term.
The Summer term is also when the Year 11’s complete their final examinations. It can be a
very anxious time, as this marks the end of their secondary education. All staff at the school
wishes every student sitting any exams this year the very best and we have every confidence
that they will achieve the outcomes they deserve.
All that remains is for me to wish you a wonderful Easter break and we look forward to seeing
everyone safely back on Tuesday 14th April.
Peter Cohen
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Head Of School News
Dear All,
It is never easy to make big decisions in your life,
and with a heavy heart, I wish to announce that I
will be leaving my Post as Head of School at the
end of the Summer Term 2015. Much as I love
working at Oak Bank School with its outstanding
staff team and wonderful students, the time has
come for me to reflect on my own life and take a
step back for personal reasons.
Having arrived at Oak Bank in the Summer Term 2008, I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 7
years by being involved in the exciting growth of the school. The curriculum continues to
flourish to meet the needs of the students and in recent years we have developed some
fantastic facilities. Our Food Technology classroom, Bike Maintenance Workshop, Outdoor
Bike Track, Animal Care/Horticulture Centre, Music Technology and Expressive Arts Facility
have added fantastic vocational opportunities for all students.
We now look forward to being able to develop a Post 16 provision so that students can be
supported beyond Year 11.
Oak Bank can never be accused of ‘sitting still’ and this year, under the drive of Mr Stead, an
innovative approach to healthy eating was introduced with a wide range of foods available to
students at breakfast, break time and at the end of the day ‘Pop in Café’ in the Food
Technology classroom. The new key stage 3 and 4 common rooms are a hub of activity in the
mornings and it is wonderful to see them sampling new food products and enjoying a social
breakfast.
A new Cinema area was created for students to watch films on a big screen during Friday
enrichment. During the Easter Holidays, Room 5, (currently the Re-Set Room), is being
remodelled into a Hair & Beauty Salon to enable students to learn barbering, hairdressing and
manicure skills. In future, we anticipate opening the facility to the local community as a
small business enterprise.
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This term we welcomed Mr P Collier to the Senior Leadership Team. I worked with Mr Collier
in his first teaching post over 15 years ago and was delighted when he decided to join us as
an Assistant Headteacher. He has already made a big impact with students in Design
Technology and Social Skills and is keen to help Miss A Larkins and Mrs T Jordan in the
development of residential camping trips both in the UK and abroad.
In addition, Mrs K Townsend has joined the staff as our Business Manager and recently
organised a Cake Sale on the Leighton Buzzard Market, managed by our Level 2 students to
raise money for Comic Relief. We are excited by the links being made with our local business
community as these will help to enrich the curriculum and provide further opportunities for
students.
I have recently met with representatives from The Kids Out Charity in Leighton Buzzard and
already we have been allocated 15 free tickets to take students and family members to
Wembley Stadium to watch The Saracens V Harlequins Rugby Union Match on Saturday 28th
March. This charity has lots of initiatives identified for Oak Bank in the future and we
appreciate their support.
I wish to thank all parents/carers for taking the time to attend our Consultation Day on
Thursday 26th March as these are important occasions when we are able to celebrate the
achievements of our students. For those who were unable to attend, your child’s Key Worker
will be contacting you to organise a convenient time to meet at the start of the Summer
Term.
Finally, it is my intention to hopefully work part time at Oak Bank from September 2015 and I
shall be discussing a potential role with Mr P Cohen and the Senior Leadership Team in the
near future. Many thanks for your continued support and hoping that you all have an
enjoyable Easter Holiday.
Best Wishes
Graham Hesketh
Head of School
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Rotary Club
Rotary Technology Tournament.
Four level 2 students, picked for their keen minds
and nimble fingers, were entered in the Rotary
Technology Tournament 2015. It was a bit daunting
for Charlie, Harrison, Luke and Phoebe to enter the
huge hall packed with students from many different
schools across the county. Each team was given a
pack containing the task, some bits of wood, plastic
pipes, wires, batteries, a small motor, pulleys,
string, paperclips, screws, elastic bands etc.
Solar Eclipse
At 09.15 on 20th March 2015, a
small number of Oak Bank
students trooped outside with
various bits of equipment in the
hope of viewing the solar
eclipse. Much to our delight, the
clouds thinned and we could see
the Sun partly covered by the
Moon. Their excited shouts
brought out other students and
staff and about half the school
enjoyed the spectacle. We
watched the temperature drop
rapidly on a thermometer as
more and more of the Sun was
covered. With the cloud cover
intermittently blocking the Sun
completely it was hard to notice
the light dimming but everyone
noticed how cold it got. After
assembly, the increase in light
levels as the Sun reappeared
startled many students.
Spring 2015
The task was to design and build a machine to cross
a crocodile (and dinosaur) infested river on a
suspended wire. Phoebe volunteered to complete
the portfolio – 10 sheets of labelled drawings and
explanations of how the team worked together to
build a machine that could complete the task.
Charlie volunteered to do all electrical work – a bad
move on his part as one of the wires had a faulty
casing and he suffered at least six electric shocks in
the cause of wiring the motor up. Luke and Harrison
covered the drilling, cutting and waiting patiently
in the queue for one of the two glue guns that were
shared with 400 other students.
The judges were impressed by the teamwork and
communication between team members. It is fair to
say that the judges were amazed at the confident
way that the team could explain what they were
trying to do and how they would achieve it. Team
Oak Bank succeeded in making a working model,
despite the judges shaving 15 minutes off the
working time. A number of mainstream school
teams did not manage this!
Mrs Neil and Mr Milton were both immensely proud
of our students and the way they conducted
themselves.
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Music
Music technology this term
has seen pupils learning about
the most sampled drum beat
of all time.
The Amen Break is a drum
pattern from a Soul Funk
band called the Winstons.
It saw small success at its
release in 1969 but really
became famous in the 80’s
when rap artists began
sampling it.
Pupils learnt all about its
history and copyright laws
and then sampled their own
drum patterns using different
methods, including recording
a live drummer and chopping
drum parts from existing
songs.
Instrument Lessons
One to one instrument lessons
are now available with both
Mr Batchelor and Mr Wainer.
If you would like to learn
Drums, Keyboard, Guitar or
Bass please let them know.
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English
World Book Day
To celebrate World Book Day, a special guest was invited
to join all English lessons. Comic book artist Chris McGhie
(He draws Banana Man and works for the Beano!) came in
to give children a lesson in drawing comic strips.
All pupils were an absolute credit to the school and really
got involved in the lessons. They got to see some of the
artist’s most famous work and learnt some really valuable
skills. Every child in the school received a book and a
comic at the end of the day.
Extra prizes were awarded at the end of the day for
exceptional behaviour. The prizes were as follows; Most
polite and welcoming student: Callum Howard, Best
engagement in lesson: George Bayes and Abbie Brewer,
Best storyboard: Alex Benjamin Jennings and Iain
MacDonald and Best effort: Jordan White and Justin
Baker.
Year Ten at the Pantomime (oh yes they
were!)
At the very beginning of this term, the English
department took all the year 10’s to see the Pantomime
at Milton Keynes Theatre. All children were exceptionally
well behaved and really enjoyed the show, which was
jazzed up by street dancers and the celebrity Bradley
Walsh.
Milton Keynes Theatre staff were really accommodating.
We had free ice-cream and were sat in premium seats.
Everyone without exception was up dancing in their seats
at the end. A really good time was had by all and we
hope to do more trips like this in future. The children had
a really memorable time and got to see something a bit
different.
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Art
The Art Department has been busy preparing Year 10
students Paul Jacques and Dominic Woodbridge for the
start of their two year GCSE programme. Dominic has
been making a lino cut to print from and Paul has been
working on a Sci-fi theme and made a robot costume.
KS3 have been looking at the work of Andy Warhol and
the Pop Art Movement, they have created individual
A n d y Wa r h o l i n s p i r e d p i e c e s o f w o r k u s i n g
contemporary icons such as Homer Simpson.
KS2 have been ‘making marks’ using different
techniques to colour and decorate paper such as
marbling effects or mask and reveal methods.
Mrs Jeavons
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Science
Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 now have the benefit of some
of the online materials to support the new 2014
science curriculum. The rest of the materials,
including those for year 9, should hopefully be
published later this year. There are a variety of
short films, pictures, animations and other
presentations to help support those students
who find it easier to learn if they have
something to see as well as having to listen to
new information. The sites can also be used at
home for revision.
Students in year 7 and 8 can login using the
username and password they were given at
school: https://www.pearsonactivelearn.com/
Students in year 9 who wish to use the year 7
and 8 materials for revision prior to GCSE may
request a username and password. You need to
be aware that the curriculum has changed
significantly since you were in these years and
there may be new material or things might be in
different topic areas from when you studied it.
Please ask if there is anything in particular that
you wish to find.
Students in year 5 and 6 can login using the
username and password they were given at
school and also need the school code rgah to
login at: https://www.activelearnprimary.co.uk/
login?c=0
There is no similar online resource to support
years 10 and 11. However, you can access the
specification (what you are expected to learn)
at: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/
gcse/science-b-4500/spec-at-a-glance
Past papers can be found at: http://
w w w. a q a . or g . u k / s u b j e c t s / s c i e n c e / g c s e /
science-b-4500/past-papers-and-mark-schemes
(remember to pick either F for foundation
or H for higher tier)
You can also find useful GCSE revision
material at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/
subjects/zrkw2hv
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External Provision
External Provision provides pupils at Oak Bank
with an opportunity to be educated off site,
through a variety of collaborative partnerships
with Colleges, Training Providers and Community
interest groups.
There are in excess of 50
Placements each week across several different
programmes, as broad as Bricklaying, Arts,
Plastering, Photography, Motor Vehicle
Maintenance, Engineering, Agriculture, Animal
Sciences, Catering and Health.
The achievements of pupils are demonstrated by
the wealth of qualifications and accreditations
g a i n e d t h r o u g h t h e E x t e r n a l Pr o v i s i o n
programme. City and Guilds in Carpentry, Arts
Awards in Photography, Btec qualifications in
Fish Husbandry, AQA Unit Awards in Music
Technology and Horse Riding have all been
achieved.
“Your students are a delight to teach, they are
so motivated to work and always get the work
completed. We enjoy having them on the Animal
Care Unit at Shuttleworth and hope they come
to study with us when they leave Oak Bank”.
Shuttleworth College Tutor.
“Kelsey and Jordon have completed their Bronze
Arts Award, they both worked so hard to pass
this qualification. They have now progressed
onto the Silver Arts Award”. Make a Difference
Project Tutor.
“All of your year 10 and 11 pupils have had a
brilliant week at Plastering, Rhys has worked
very well. The portfolios for their City and
Guilds qualification are almost complete”. C
and G Plastering Academy Tutor.
“It is always a pleasure to work with you all; we
look forward to meeting some more pupils soon
who want to attend Jam Rock Media”. Jam Rock
Media Tutor.
Connor and Dominic have both passed their
qualification at Angling for Success this year.
Dominic is progressing on into year 11 to study
for the Level 2 Btec qualification in Fish
Husbandry. Angling for Success Tutor.
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Physical Education
Basketball
Basketball has been very popular this half term
and students have taken part in competitive
games at lunch times. This has led to Basketball
being offered during activities in the afternoons.
During these sessions we have worked on
dribbling and shooting skills and real
improvements have been seen in those
attending regularly. Todd, Harrsion, George and
Shyon are four students that have attended
nearly every session and are shaping into good
players. They have displayed excellent
sportsmanship and determination and I hope
they continue to enjoy their court time.
Yonex All England Badminton
Championships Visit
On Thursday March 6th Mr Stead took Phoebe
Harris and Abbie Brewer both in Year 7 along
w i t h Vi c t o r i a Yo u n g i n Ye a r 9 t o t h e
Championships in Birmingham at the Barclaycard
Arena. All the pupils were a credit to the school
and were a pleasure to be with. We were lucky
enough to witness the Husband and Wife
England mixed double pairing of Chris and
Gabby Adcock win their match and go through to
the Quarter finals. The pupils and staff saw
some excellent singles, doubles and mixed
doubles matches. I hope the girls were inspired
by the event I know I certainly was.
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Ten Pin Bowling Academy
Over the last four Monday PE sessions Mr Stead
has taken a group to Go Bowling in Dunstable to
improve their ten pin bowling skills. They have
been under the expert guidance of Lizzie Shaw
who represents Bedfordshire at ten pin bowling.
The pupils on average bowled 4 games and
improved in their technique and scores. All the
pupils have shown respect to Lizzie and taken
on board the advice, hints and tips she has given
them. The pupils that attended were:
Alex Stephenson – Year 8
Alex Benjamin – Jennings – Year 8
Alan Stringer – Year 8
Kieran Engleman – Year 8
James Hurrell – Year 8
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Y 9 &10 demonstrate impressive skills at Free Running
A group of Year 9 & 10 pupils have been lucky enough to attend free running at the Paramount
Academy in Milton Keynes. All the pupils have attended each session with great enthusiasm
showing a willingness to better their skills and push themselves further. They all
demonstrated determination, inspiration, courage and respect in each session the attended.
Vinnie Mongiardi and Billy Armstrong both impressed all pupils and staff with their ability to
run up a wall and perform a back somersault and land on their feet. Kelsey Pang amazed all
with a moment of brilliance performing a handstand walk forwards and backwards with
beautiful control. Callum Howard has worked outside of his comfort zone in every session,
pushing himself to better his skills. Trent Cameron has continued to give 100% in every session
and improving his skills every session and is never scared to try new skills. Nathan Thomas O’
Keefe and Todd Carmichael displayed super bar skills by being able to swing from one bar to
another over a distance of 2 metres. Arlie Perschky was excellent through all his sessions and
has a natural talent for the sport. A huge well done to all that attended.
Year 10
Year 9
Vinnie Mongiardi
Nathan Thomas O’ Keefe
Billy Armstrong
Todd Carmichael
Kelsey Pang
Andrew Henderson
Paul Jacques
Arlie Perschky
Trent Cameron
Harry Keogh
Callum Howard
Shyon Abraham
Callum Poynter
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Pupil of the half term – Spring One 2015
The following pupils were nominated by the PE team for demonstrating excellence during the
months of January and February.
Justin Baker – Year 6 (Key Stage 2)
Kai Woodcock – Year 7 (Key Stage 3)
Callum Poynter – Year 10 (Key Stage 4)
Each pupil will receive 500 vivo miles, a certificate and a display medal in recognition of this
superb achievement.
Oak Bank Elite
At the start of the spring term an idea was raised to involve a fitness bootcamp to all
students who wished to take part. This also included work in the gym and external provision
to boxing.
I would like to say a massive well done to all students who were involved in the hard work
during these sessions showing great qualities such as determination, discipline, team work,
courage and will to keep going when things got tough.
Bootcamp Inspirers:
Justin Baker
Andrew Henderson
Gym Inspirers:
Andrew Henderson
George Bayes
Boxers:
Callum Howard
Ryan Hodges
Billy Armstrong
I am truly proud of all the individuals who have taken part in each category and would like to
thank them not only for their hard work but for keeping the morale high and seeing it
through.
I look forward to the new term to see the young people not only get fitter, healthier and
happier but to be a true inspiration to more students like they have already.
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GENERAL STUDIES
Another busy term has been had in both Miss
Jordan’s and Mrs Hogg’s lessons this term,
with lots more planned for next term!
Year 5 and 6 ASDAN Stepping
Stones Award
The class have continued to look at healthy
lifestyles after their visit to Hazard Alley
Safety Centre last term and learnt the
importance of healthy eating and looking
after your body.
The students then looked at environmental
studies and researched insects native to
Britain. The students developed skills in ICT
by creating a PowerPoint Presentation with
their research, created colourful posters and
joined in class fact finding discussions.
Year 7 ASDAN Keysteps Certificate
The year 7 class have completed the
Enterprise Module this term. The students
designed and created colourful designs to
transfer on to mugs using a heat transfer
press. They then made colourfully designed
boxes to package their gifts.
Year 8 ASDAN Bronze Award
The Year 8 classes completed the Expressive
Arts Module this term. They researched
famous people, made jewellery, created a
painting or drawing, wrote a song or poem,
visited the cinema to view Big Hero 6 and
wrote a film review comparing it to other
films by the same Director.
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GENERAL STUDIES
Year 9 ASDAN Certificate of
Personal Effectiveness Certificate
The Year 9’s have completed the Expressive
Arts Module for their qualification. They have
created colourful paintings and drawings.
They have also completed the Beliefs and
Values module. For this unit they gained an
understanding of the Buddhism religion and
looked at why there is drug abuse.
Year 10 ASDAN Certificate of
Personal Effectiveness Certificate
The Year 10’s have completed the Sports and
Leisure Module and the International Module
this term. The have researched foods and
famous places in Italy. They created colourful
factual presentations, learnt a little basic
Italian and took part in tasting some foods of
Italy.
Well done to Dominic Woodbridge and Callum
Poynter on successfully completing two weeks
of work experience.
Year 11
The Year 11’s have been busy preparing for
their futures by creating their CVs, applying
to colleges and learning interview skills. This
work will also help them gain credits to their
BTEC Workskills and ASDAN Life Skills
qualifications.
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Judo Sessions
Pupils at Oak Bank have continues to have the
privilege to take part in Judo sessions with Judo
coach David Down. David has been leading Judo
sessions every Friday since November 2014.
Pupils have enjoyed the opportunity to develop
skills in a new sport and many have shown a
natural ability for the sport and a desire to
improve themselves.
Special mentions must go to Andrew Henderson
and Jordan Gallagher in Year 9 for their
determination and focus shown in all the
sessions they have attended.
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Design Technology
This half term students have engaged with
building complex pasta bridges, designing
sportswear, making flying gliders and the chance
to improve personal wood work skills. This has
all been in a half terms work for our students in
the design technology department. Being new to
Oak Bank School, I have been really impressed
with the enthusiasm that has been shown
towards creative projects. It is my hope that
personal skills can be developed further and
that we can continue to work with interest to
design innovative, functional and appealing
products.
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Bike Maintenance
Computing
It has been excellent having the Year 8’s join the
Bike Maintenance Workshop this term with each
and every one of them showing great
enthusiasm and skill when working with the
school bikes. It’s great to see so many pupils
engaging with the technological side of our bike
program here at Oak Bank.
Year 11 pupils have been working hard and have
recently completed their ICT Functional Skills
Level 1 examination. Despite the initial exam
nerves and apprehension all students completed
the paper to the best of their ability and
answered as many questions as they were
possible. I am very pleased with the mature
attitude displayed and am proud of the effort
that all of the pupils gave towards the 2 hour
exam. I wish them all the very best and am
looking forward to seeing the results. The ICT
Functional Skills Level 2 qualification is due in
May 2015.
All pupils from Key Stage 2 through to Key Stage
4 have the opportunity to choose Bike
Maintenance in their DT and Options lessons. In
these lessons we learn everything from simple
puncture repair, to full projects, including
building a complete bike from scratch. We
currently have one student building a bike to
order for a member of the staff team.
Some of the older students have 1 to 1 sessions
where they concentrate on the more technical
side of bike repair, but it’s also great to see the
younger students learning the processes of team
work, helping each other to learn and be safe in
a workshop environment.
As we are constantly going through bike parts
and are looking for parts to replace the ones we
use I would like to use this terms newsletter to
make a plea to all friends and families of the
school:
If you have, or know of someone that has, any
old, unwanted bikes or parts that you/they no
longer have any use for, the students at Oak
Bank would be eternally grateful for any
donations that could be made. If you are not
able to get the bikes or parts to us we can make
arrangements to have them collected within a
reasonable radius of the school. If you are able
to do this, please leave a message for Mr Milton
at the school.
Spring 2015
Year 9 pupils are currently working towards an
AQA Unit Award in Components for Personal
Computers. For this predominantly practical
based award they are required to locate and
describe the main functions for a number of key
components in personal computers.
Gardening news
Spring is fast approaching and in the
horticulture centre we have started to plant
our crops.
The students were busy spreading muck on the
gardens in the autumn term to keep the weeds
down and condition the soil. As a result we are
now reaping the benefits as the ground is
virtually weed free and easy to turn over.
Potatoes, peas, carrots and onions have already
been planted directly into the soil and a
selection of seeds has been planted in the green
house. The students are involved with all
aspects of the garden, from preparing the
ground, planting, watering and weeding.
This year Oak Bank are part of the Leighton in
Bloom open gardens initiative, this is where the
Horticulture Centre will be open to the public
along with other gardens in the local area. We
shall notify you of the date next term. If you are
gardening over the Easter holiday and have any
spare bedding plants or shrubs needing a home
please think of us!
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Healthy Eating in the BSW House.
Our pupils in the BSW House have been
experimenting with the new foods available to
them from the Healthy Schools Initiative. As
part of the ASDAN Award some of the pupils have
made fresh fruit smoothies, which they
thoroughly enjoy making and sampling.
The pupils are really keen to try new foods
which they may not have dared to before, for
example, the pupils always have a cupboard full
of fresh fruit, nuts, fruit and cereal bars to
snack on.
With the new initiative the pupils have become
more involved in what foods are ordered for
them, and the new foods are often conversation
starters due to discussions around nutritional
values within the foods they are now eating.
We are looking forward to expanding our
knowledge about new foods together.
VIVO Awards.
The VIVO award system in School has recently
had a revamp. The Reward categories have
been looked at and changed to entice the
students back into using and earning VIVOs in
School.
The VIVO shop saw new products being added,
for example, students can now purchase items
such as selfie sticks, comfy fluffy socks, shower
gel, boxing equipment and many more items.
Many students have also been generously
donated their VIVOs to charity by buying cakes,
sponsoring head shaves and buying teachers as
their personal servants for the day.
This is the current leader board for students
who have been rewarded the most VIVOs this
academic year.
Parents/Carers are able to check student’s
accounts through separate log-ins so if you
require more information about this please do
not hesitate to contact Miss Ward.
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Oak Bank Pupils BoxingTheir Way
To The Top!!!!!
For the past year, various Oak Bank students
have been put through their paces by a
professional boxing coach. They have endured
painstaking workouts and fitness routines and
have all shown great commitment to improve
their boxing skills as well as their fitness,
discipline and attitude. The pupils have all
demonstrated fantastic team work and cooperation as they have all helped each other to
overcome some gruelling challenges. From
lifting tractor tyres to sparing in the ring, the
pupils of Oak Bank have once again shown what
our school is all about: HARDWORK,
DETERMINATION & SUCCESS……..GOOD JOB
GUYS!!!!!!!
Pupils who have attended boxing sessions: Billy
Armstrong, Kieran Jays, Ryan Hodges and Callum
Howard.
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Science Trip to Airkix MK on
Monday 23rd March
This was a thrilling trip for the year 5 and 6
Science students where they put their
knowledge of forces into practice with some
indoor skydiving!
Tyla, Kyle Quinn, Iain, Michael, Ethan and Ryan
all showed courage and skill when they were
suspended in mid-air and spinning around. Some
of the students even went to the very top!
We managed to get some fantastic photos and
videos of the boys in action and wearing their
cool in-in-one suits.
The instructors were impressed by how quickly
our students picked it up and told us we would
be welcome back again. This something we can
definitely consider in future, as a reward for
good progress in Science.
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Numeracy
Key Stage Two
Changes to the teaching of numeracy
The pupils in Key Stage two have been
working hard on their end of term
assessments. We have had new
additions to the group and they are
beginning to show signs of settling in.
Due to the increased numbers in the KS2
house the year 7’s will begin their
transition over to the main body of the
school beginning in April. This term the
years 5 and 6 have worked hard on their
Literacy skills and have engaged
thoroughly in their World War Two Topic.
Breakfast in the KS2 house has shown a
promising start. They pupils are
enjoying the opportunity to eat new
food that they have not necessarily tried
before and are enjoying a healthy,
balanced start to their day. Staff are
looking forward to getting out in the
garden with the children now that the
weather has become warmer. There is a
plan for the children to grow things
during their animal Care/horticulture
sessions.
KS2 pupils have had the opportunity to
work alongside the year 7 pupils to help
them develop their social skills. They
have been looking at sharing equipment,
discussing ideas and strategies, working
together, communicating and solving
dilemma’s. They have taken part in
various challenges and tasks to promote
their self-esteem, problem solving skills
and communication skills. Amongst
many other group tasks we’ve seen the
tallest tower built out of newspaper, the
smallest item built out of Lego, the
largest rope used for group skipping and
the longest distance moved using a
tennis ball and rackets.
Spring 2015
In September we made significant changes to
the teaching of numeracy at Oak Bank and
although it’s still early days in many ways, it
isn’t too early to make some initial
observations.
Previously we taught Maths according to year
groups. This meant that whatever your ability,
you could have lessons with peers that may be
significantly more or less able than you. That is
why we have changed to our current system in
which pupils of similar ability are taught
together regardless of their ages.
There have been some noticeable improvements
in student levels in just a short time and from
feedback I have received, the lessons are going
very well.
We have a large number of pupils about to sit
their Maths GCSE’s in June with age being no
barrier. In addition to all of the Year 11’s, there
are Year 10’s and even Year 9’s entered. The
experience will be good for them and I have
every confidence in them to work at the best of
their ability!
Mr White
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Spring 2015
27 March 2015
Outdoor Education
The cold, wet winter months have meant things
have been a little quieter on the Outdoor Ed
front during the Spring Term; however we have
still found time to get to the climbing wall and
out in the local area!
Outdoor Ed in PE
The Year 7’s and the Year 8’s had the option to
try rock climbing as part of their PE lessons in
January and February. All of the pupils who
attended the sessions worked hard and have all
worked towards achieving qualifications in this
challenging sport! Experienced climbers Charlie
Armstrong, Liam Butler and Tyran Snow have all
logged climbs towards their NICAS Awards,
whereas other students have been working
towards an AQA Unit Award in Rock Climbing.
Highlights have included Year 7 pupils Kai
Woodcock and Kyle Draper challenging
themselves to do harder climbs each week they
went, Aaron Lloyd and Phoebe Harris showing
fantastic team work to achieve their goals, and
new pupils Alan Stringer and Matty Quirke
showing that they are able to use support from
their new classmates to reach the top!
Well done to all of the pupils that climbed
during this term and I look forward to having
some new additions to our school climbing
team!
Spring 2015
23
Spring 2015
27 March 2015
Outdoor Education
BSW PE/ Outdoor Ed
The BSW PE group have had the opportunity
to try their hand at a range of activities this
term, from indoor rock climbing on rainy
days, to building snow ovens on snowy days!
Kieran Jays (Year 10), Billy Armstrong, Alfie
Devlin and George Wadsworth (all Year 9)
managed to build a fire in the snow to toast
marsmallows and make smores.
Outdoor Ed Options Group
Year 9 and 10 pupils who have Outdoor Ed as
one of their options have just begun to work
towards a new qualification; a Prince’s Trust
Award/ Certificate in Employability and
Personal Development. As part of this pupils
have taken part in a wide range of activities
such as wide games, bush craft, rock
climbing, high ropes and caving. As part of a
team exercise the group took part in the
‘Jacobs Ladder’ challenge, in which they had
to work together to climb as high as they
could by giving each other leg ups, pushing,
pulling and holding on to each other’s ropes!
Highlights for this term have included Vinnie
Mongiardi challenging his fears at both the
Jacobs Ladder and in the caves, and Todd
Carmichael reaching the top of the Jacobs
Ladder on his own! Callum Poynter and
Lennon Geairns also had a fast and furious
‘snow ball manhunt’ during a particularly cold
snowy day, to beat the other boys!
Through this new qualification we hope to
give pupils a better idea of how to work as
part of a team and evaluate their own
strengths and weaknesses so that they can
become more effective learners in school
With the turn of the weather and the promise
of warmer temperatures (and less rain!) we
are hoping to get out and about more during
the Summer Term!
Spring 2015
24
Spring 2015
27 March 2015
RED NOSE DAY
‘Roll up Roll up read all about it…’
Oak Bank level 2 pupils held a market stall in
the heart of Leighton Buzzard town on Tuesday
17th March, selling school made & donated
cupcakes for Red Nose Day.
Level 2 pupils had an array of 220 cupcakes of
all variety’s, 24 of which were kindly donated
by SHELLY’s CAKES. An impressive £118.29 was
raised in just under 3 hours!
Locals were very interested in the Schools stall
and impressed with the cakes on offer, One
team managed to get a £20.00 donation for
just 6 cakes.
We even had a visit from our local former world
heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno,
who kindly had his photo taken with us
The few cakes which didn’t get a home were
taken to Swiss Cottage for the residents to enjoy
with afternoon tea.
The six L2 pupils and Miss Knight did Oak Bank
School very proud and it was a pleasure to work
alongside them for the morning.
Spring 2015
25
Spring 2015
27 March 2015
Curriculum Awards
Spring 2015
26